Self-Guided Explorations Weekend of November 27 - 29, 2026

There is a rare kind of retreat that asks very little of you except to listen. Self-Guided Explorations at Esalen Institute, set on the cliffs above the Pacific in Big Sur, California, is a wellness retreat built on choice. There is no prescribed curriculum and no one measuring your progress. You decide how the weekend unfolds, moving toward whatever your intuition and curiosity call for.

The weekend is for anyone hoping to reconnect with themselves, their dreams, and their desires. Some come to awaken dormant passions or tend old wounds. Others come to remember the simple joy of being alive. Musicians Sam Stern and Micha Merrick are part of the weekend's offering, and a Saturday in this landscape, with ocean air, hot springs, and open time, invites you to settle into your own rhythm.

What to Expect

The retreat opens and closes with circles that bookend the weekend with your cohort. Between them, the days are yours to shape. The experience is built around a few core elements:

- Open classes led by Teachers in Residence, which may include yoga, dance-based movement, journaling, and breathwork, all designed to encourage joy and mindfulness.
- Meditation, conscious dance, and the creative arts to explore as much or as little as you like.
- Presentations by guest faculty for those who want to go deeper into ideas.
- Time on the land, including soaks in the hot springs, quiet moments, and solitude.
- Healing arts, including Esalen Massage and holistic services from compassionate practitioners, available as an add-on.

Participants can cultivate vitality and well-being through embodiment practice, writing, and quiet enjoyment of the land, or through whatever they need to reset, refresh, and recalibrate. You are free to do a great deal, or very little.

About the Lineup

Sam Stern is a musician featured at this Self-Guided Explorations weekend. Music has a natural place in a retreat devoted to embodiment, presence, and feeling, and Sam's participation adds a musical dimension to the days at Esalen.

Micha Merrick is a musician featured alongside Sam Stern. Micha brings sound and song to a weekend shaped by movement, breath, and open attention.

Daily open classes are led by Teachers in Residence, who guide yoga, dance-based movement, journaling, breathwork, and other practices.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, CA. The registration options include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, and an individual day pass. The on-site package includes housing, 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, alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are not included. Self-Guided Explorations guests have access to open classes but not to preregistered workshops. Scholarships are available through an application on the Esalen site.

Highway 1 access to Big Sur has been affected by road closures and travel advisories, so check Esalen's current travel advisory before you plan your journey.