Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.
Learn More.

Learn more.

Due to road closures along Highway 1 to our north and south, Esalen is closed through April 11.
Esalen Institute is open! However, Highway 1 to the south is closed — please review the current travel advisory.

Esalen opens May 3, 2024

Visitors are now able to access Esalen as well as other businesses and trails in northern Big Sur via twice-daily convoys on Highway 1 operated by Caltrans.

Convoys run only at 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. each day. These are the only opportunities to travel into and out of Big Sur, so visitors must plan accordingly.

Learn more.

Explore Your Potential.

Esalen is a holistic retreat and nonprofit educational institute. Established in 1962 and considered the epicenter of the human potential movement, we welcome visitors with advance reservations for workshops and massages to our campus in Big Sur, California.

Ways to Visit

Embark on a Personal Journey

Unlike traditional retreats that follow a predetermined schedule, Self-Guided Explorations empowers you to craft a personalized, self-paced journey of self discovery.

Explore, Play, Heal

Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series

December 13–16, December 16–20
January 27–31
December 13–16 | December 16–20 | January 27–31

Join us this winter and experience the healing power of rhythm, reflection, and community — a timely medicine for a world that deeply needs reconnection and introspection.

Go Within

FEATURED WORKSHOPS

Explore All Workshops
Eve Ekman and Sará King
Rewilding the Mind: Technology for Well-Being
January 10–12, 2025
Justin Michael Williams
Motivate Your Life: Unleash 360° Potential
January 17–20, 2025
Roger Kuhn
Somacultural Liberation: Freeing the Body Through Cultural Awareness
January 24–26, 2025
Roger Kuhn
Somacultural Liberation: Freeing the Body Through Cultural Awareness
January 24–26, 2025
Teachers in Residence with Special Guest Snow Raven
Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series
January 27–31, 2025
Hannah Muse
Yoga and Devotion: Living Life With Joy and Purpose
January 27–31, 2025
Stacie Blanke and Anthony Veneziale
Joyful Metamorphosis: Embrace Uncertainty Through Play
January 31 – February 2, 2025
Danny Fluker and Darnell Lamont Walker
Healing, Rest, & Embodied Liberation for Men of Color
January 31 – February 2, 2025
Anne Van de Water
Authentic Alignment: Creating an Authentic Life of Purpose, Value, and Vision
February 3–7, 2025
Darnell Lamont Walker and Cara Chandler
Cultivating Creative Resilience
February 3–7, 2025
Kamilah Majied
Embodying Joy: Black Wisdom Traditions of Liberation and Healing
February 3–7, 2025
Toni Cupal
Winter Renewal: Transitioning into the New Year with Ritual, Yoga and Time in Nature
February 7–10, 2025
Eve Ekman and Sará King
Rewilding the Mind: Technology for Well-Being
January 10–12, 2025
Justin Michael Williams
Motivate Your Life: Unleash 360° Potential
January 17–20, 2025
Roger Kuhn
Somacultural Liberation: Freeing the Body Through Cultural Awareness
January 24–26, 2025
Teachers in Residence with Special Guest Snow Raven
Go Within: An Esalen Wintering Series
January 27–31, 2025
Hannah Muse
Yoga and Devotion: Living Life With Joy and Purpose
January 27–31, 2025
Stacie Blanke and Anthony Veneziale
Joyful Metamorphosis: Embrace Uncertainty Through Play
January 31 – February 2, 2025
Danny Fluker and Darnell Lamont Walker
Healing, Rest, & Embodied Liberation for Men of Color
January 31 – February 2, 2025
Anne Van de Water
Authentic Alignment: Creating an Authentic Life of Purpose, Value, and Vision
February 3–7, 2025
Explore All Workshops

Human Potential & Self Actualization for All

Money should never stand in the way of human potential. Donor-funded financial scholarships help make Esalen, a 501c3 nonprofit, accessible to a wider community of brains, hearts, and souls.

Apply Now

Your Support Matters

As a 501c3 nonprofit organization, Esalen relies on tax-deductible donations to help support leading-edge programming, fund scholarships, sustainably maintain our campus, and more.

Give Today

Embark on a Personal Journey

Unlike traditional retreats that follow a predetermined schedule, Self-Guided Explorations empowers you to craft a personalized, self-paced journey of self discovery.

Explore, Play, Heal

CAMPUS-WIDE FESTIVALS

Unite for festivals that enhance your “me” time with “we” time through transformational revelry that builds community and supports healing.

Summer GrooveDig It
Scholarships
Apply Now

Inspired by what was good and magical about the late 1960s, our first-ever summer series will feature festive programming in an open, a-la-carte format similar to our Self Guided Explorations workshops. Esalen’s own faculty-in-residence will be joined by very special guests to add amazing and delightful programming to each uniquely different week and weekend!

Providing access to the growth and healing opportunities through our programs and faculty is a priority for Esalen. We offer a number of partial scholarships per workshop and programming opportunities with up to 90% coverage based on need. We encourage you to make use of this potential support and apply now.

Altered States: Pathways to Expansion, September 9–13, 2024Learn More
Go Within: An Esalen Institute Winter Series, December 13–16 & December 16–20, 2024Learn More
Learn More

Through the embrace of the arts and our own creativity, we unite during this communal, campus-wide gathering  to unleash the pulsating, reverberating inner curiosity that fuels imagination, sparks innovation, and nourishes the soul.

Human Potential & Self Actualization for All

Money should never stand in the way of human potential. Donor-funded financial scholarships help make Esalen accessible to a wider community of brains, hearts, and souls.

Apply Now

Accommodations & Tuition

Whether you prefer rustic, deluxe, or something in-between, check out the homey spots you can lay your head during your stay at the edge of the world.

Preview Options

Celebrating Human Potential Since 1962

Watch short films, listen to our podcast, and read colorful articles linking our past to the present day.

Immerse in Story
ESALEN MEDIA
JOURNALPODCASTVIDEONEWSLETTERPRESS

STAY CONNECTED ON SOCIAL

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Copyright © 2024 Esalen Institute and Esalen Center for Theory & Research. All rights reserved. Esalen is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, tax-exempt organization. Donations are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law. View our Tax ID#, 990, and additional information.

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