Part 2 of our October & November newly published workshops for you! Come unravel old stories. Reconnect with your body. Rest deeply. Listen closely. Reset. Go!
There’s something about every season here, but what we can say about Fall is that the shifting light, the ocean air, the slowing down are ever so lovely to create space for reflection, renewal, and transformation.
October & November workshops are live! From Gestalt and somatic healing to sound journeys, deep rest, mindfulness, ritual, movement, creativity, and reconnecting with the natural world, these Fall workshops explore growth, healing and transformation in these ever-changing times.
Dr. James Fadiman, sometimes known as the godfather of microdosing and a longtime Esalen faculty member, reflects on the cultural shockwave of the psychedelic era, a time when people were beginning to question the inherited scripts of American life, including things like going to fight in Vietnam, or even have a regular job.
At Esalen, that kind of questioning was certainly a part of the fabric of the place, and helped to influence the way that it developed. However, psychedelics were part of the story, but only part. The radical psychodynamic work of Dick Price in Gestalt, as well as the encounter groups of Will Schutz, as well as the slow, patient, and powerful bodywork, which had been influenced by Charlotte Selver's sensory awareness, coupled with deep investigations into consciousness all helped create a space where people could ask questions about human possibility.
These were exciting times. And their questions are still very much alive.
#Esalen #JamesFadiman #Psychedelics #HumanPotential #Gestalt #Consciousness #Counterculture #BigSur #InnerWork #Transformation
This clip features footage from 1967's "The Hippie Temptation" (watch it! available on YouTube) and "Big Sur: The Way it Was" (also on YT).
If you’ve ever experienced or wanted to experience an Esalen Lodge conversation — the kind that drifts from subtle energy to consciousness, mysticism, synchronicity, reincarnation, and the deeper mysteries of being human — this series is for you.
These conversations still happen, though perhaps with a little less frequency than in the early days when such inquiries regularly stretched late into the night.
On Voices of Esalen, Esalen co-founder Michael Murphy joins scholars Simon Cox, Charles Stang, Sravana Borkataky-Varma, and Anya Foxen for a three-part exploration of subtle energies across traditions, histories, and lived experience — and what these enduring ideas continue to reveal.
If you’ve had conversations like these yourself, we’d love to hear about some of those magical moments of inquiry, connection, or late-night wonder in the comments below.
To listen to the episodes click the link in bio.
Fluidity in Motion: Presence, Play, and Spontaneous Awareness
Deborah Eden Tull
August 21–23, 2026
What if the body already knows how to move in harmony with change?
In this immersive weekend workshop, Zen teacher, ecodharma practitioner, and author Deborah Eden Tull invites participants into an exploration of flow, through movement, stillness, somatic inquiry, relational mindfulness, and deep embodied listening.
Set against the dramatic coastline of Big Sur, this workshop offers an opportunity to reconnect with the intelligence of the body, the living world, and the spontaneous awareness that emerges when we loosen our grip on control. You'll explore what the water element can teach about adaptability, surrender, resilience, and meeting uncertainty with creativity rather than contraction.
No meditation or dance experience required. Only curiosity, presence, and a willingness to enter the stream.
Yin and yang remind us that life moves in rhythms. That growth comes from learning how to move with change, tension, energy, and rest.
Life frequently pulls us toward immediacy and certainty, so when we can pause to ground, we find the spaciousness to be curious, connected, and human.
📸 by @katiee_pierce
We just snuck a few extra workshops into the mix for May, August, and September that you haven’t seen yet. Check them out!
And for those of you feeling the pull toward a meaningful start to summer, there’s still space in several June workshops to help you welcome the solstice with heartfelt, soul-moving, life-affirming work on the self. Growth is ongoing, so the work is never really done. But, that’s the beauty of our ever-evolving transformation process.
Photo Gestalt: Exploring Self Through Family Photographs
with Dorothy Charles
June 22–26, 2026
What do our family photographs know about us?
In "Photo Gestalt: Exploring Self Through Family Photographs," Dorothy Charles invites participants to use personal family photos as doorways into reflection, emotional awareness, and a deeper understanding of identity.
Through guided exercises, gentle inquiry, and shared witnessing, you will explore:
The emotional signatures carried in family images.
Patterns of belonging, loss, resilience, and connection.
How family roles are expressed visually.
The stories we inherited and the ones we are ready to update.
Moments of beauty, ambiguity, and mystery that live in our lineage.
In this workshop, you’ll have the opportunity to gain new insights, renewed compassion for your family system, and an expanded sense of your own narrative.
No artistic or Gestalt experience is required.
Taking it easy doesn’t have to mean waiting for the right conditions. It can happen right where you are, in small, simple ways. It might be pausing between tasks, stepping outside for a few breaths of air, letting your shoulders drop, shaking your hair out, or allowing something to be good enough without tightening it further.
Ease isn’t reserved for rare occasions. It’s part of how we care for ourselves in daily life.
📸 by @katiee_pierce
Esalen faculty Lucia Horan speaks about the importance of integration within the context of transformation. "That's what the word integration means - to make whole our experience."
Integration can mean the difference between a peak moment and a lived shift. It's where insight settles into the body and the way you relate to others. Without integration, even the most powerful experiences can fade or fragment. With it, they begin to organize your life from the inside out.
We keep bees here, but not for the honey. Our hives support pollination, tending the gardens and wild edges of this land through an essential exchange.
When there’s extra honey, we share it in small, seasonal ways. It’s a gift, not the goal.
Mostly, the bees are here simply to be bees. And “bee” a reminder that not everything needs to be harvested (or optimized) to be valuable.
📸 by @lehla.cheyenne & @candiceloridreamwater
Tonight beneath a Scorpio Moon, we will be moving through a powerful 31-day window of clarity, release, and manifestation. It’s the kind of cosmic moment that asks: What part of you is ready for a shift? What experience is calling your name?
As we move from spring’s deep inner work toward the bright openness of summer on June 20, this is an especially meaningful moment to step into a workshop that supports whatever you want next for yourself.
Across May and early June, we still have space in a some workshops! If something in you is stirring — trust it. If a workshop keeps catching your eye — follow it. This is a potent time to say yes to experiences!
Swipe through to explore the workshops with openings between now and the start of summer.
