Winter Renewal: Transitioning into the New Year with Ritual, Yoga and Time in Nature

The turn of a year is a threshold, and most of us cross it in a rush. This yoga retreat at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, offers another way: to slow down, listen to what your body has been carrying, and let the passage into 2027 become a deliberate act of renewal rather than a date on the calendar.

Led by Toni Cupal, Winter Renewal: Transitioning into the New Year with Ritual, Yoga and Time in Nature is a journey to heal oneself and awaken deeply from within. Through meditation, yoga, and time in nature, you are invited to tap into the stories your body has to tell and to develop skills for nourishing yourself in the year ahead. If you are searching for a winter yoga retreat in Big Sur that pairs movement with ritual and reflection, this gathering is made for that.

What to Expect

The retreat treats the move from one year to the next as an opportunity to cultivate renewal on purpose. You will be guided to explore what that means for you personally, in a setting that supports reflection rather than performance.

- Ritual invocations of energy. These, together with the power of the Esalen grounds themselves, create an intentional space to reflect on all you have experienced, individually and with your community, over the past year.
- Meditation and yoga. Practices that bring attention back to the body and its wisdom.
- Time in nature. Facilitated ways of grounding and connecting to the sacred energy of nature and the elements that surround you.
- Healing in community. The chance to experience how healing resonates when it is shared.

Toni Cupal began teaching yoga in 2009 and has studied intuitive healing intensively since 2012. She enjoys weaving elements of healing into her yoga classes to create an authentic experience of body, breath, and energy for each person in the room.

The organizer invites participants to understand themselves at a much deeper level, to begin meaningful personal transformation and discover tools to support that work, to gain a heightened sense of awareness and presence in ritual practice, and to experience new ways of relating to nature, receiving the energy around them, and forming relationships with the natural world. The aim is greater presence and the capacity to build and replenish energy throughout the coming year.

Venue & Logistics

The retreat takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, and runs for four days. Registration options listed by the organizer include a workshop with an on-site stay, a workshop with an off-site stay, and an individual day pass. A scholarship application is also available through Esalen.

The workshop with an on-site stay 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 such as Esalen massage or holistic services, specialty coffee and tea, alcohol from the bar, and bookstore purchases are not included.

Esalen's website has posted a travel advisory about Highway 1 road conditions in Big Sur. Please review the current advisory directly with Esalen before you plan your travel, as access can change.