Self-Guided Explorations Weekend of January 22-24, 2027

There is a particular kind of restoration that arrives only when no one is telling you what to do next. Self-Guided Explorations at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, is a wellness retreat built around that idea: a weekend held within a contemplative frame, where the shape of your days is yours to decide.

Set on the Big Sur coast, this winter weekend begins and ends with a circle of fellow participants, and the hours between are open. Some guests deepen a yoga practice, explore breathwork and meditation, or move through conscious dance. Others write, make art, soak in the hot springs under the stars, or simply rest in the landscape. Musicians Sam Stern and Micha Merrick are part of the weekend's offering, adding their presence to a program that values intuition over itinerary.

If you are weighing whether this is the right retreat, consider what you need most. This is not a fixed curriculum with a set outcome. It is for the person who wants to reconnect with their own dreams and desires, to reset and recalibrate, and who trusts that they will know what to choose, or that choosing nothing is a fine answer.

What to Expect

The weekend is bookended by an opening circle and a closing circle with your cohort. Between them, you move through an open schedule at your own pace.

- Daily open classes led by Teachers in Residence, which may include yoga and dance-based movement, journaling, breathwork, and other practices that encourage joy and mindfulness.
- Presentations by guest faculty.
- Creative offerings, from the expressive arts to writing.
- Optional healing services, including Esalen® Massage and holistic modalities offered by practitioners (these are not included in the base price).
- Unstructured time for solitude, quiet enjoyment of the land, and rest.

There is no expectation to fill every hour, and no two guests will spend the weekend the same way. The faculty draws from psychology, somatic practice, mindfulness, and the creative arts. Participants often leave with a renewed sense of vitality, clearer attention to their own needs, and the experience of having shaped their own restoration.

About the Lineup

Sam Stern is a musician featured at this Self-Guided Explorations weekend. Within a program centered on embodiment, stillness, and creative expression, music offers another way to settle into the body and the moment. Further details of his offerings are shared by the organizer.

Micha Merrick is a musician also featured on this weekend's lineup. Alongside the Teachers in Residence who lead the daily open classes, Micha contributes to the contemplative atmosphere of the retreat. Further details of the offerings are shared by the organizer.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. Registration options include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, or an individual day pass. The on-site workshop includes housing accommodations, breakfast, lunch and dinner, coffee, tea and snacks, access to the hot springs and other campus features, and classes on the open schedule. Healing Arts sessions, specialty coffee and tea or alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are not included. Participants in Self-Guided Explorations have access to open classes but not to preregistered workshops. Scholarships are available through an application.

Highway 1 conditions around Big Sur can affect travel, and the organizer has posted a travel advisory. Please review the current advisory on the Esalen website before planning your journey.