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.
past workshop

Mother Tongue: A 5Rhythms® and Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness Retreat

August 28 – September 1, 2023

Lucia Horan

“Rhythm is the universal mother tongue. It is the language of the soul.” Gabrielle Roth

Silent introspection (seated meditation) and movement awareness (5Rhythms®) are both practices that support unlocking the gateways of healing, celebration, and joy. Together, we will build an environment that cultivates peace, balance, and well-being. Through sweat and stillness, we will ride the rhythms of the mother tongue and turn the heart toward self-realization.

The 5Rhythms dance method is focused on presence versus performance. It is a place where movement becomes the metaphor for all of life. It teaches us how energy moves and where it gets stuck. The rhythms of Flowing, Staccato, Chaos, Lyrical, and Stillness help us to more skillfully understand and navigate the inner and outer landscapes of reality.

Trauma-sensitive mindfulness builds a container to hold both movement and stillness in a way that supports all that you are facing. This approach offers tools that allow you to both “work with” and “be with” what is present.

This workshop will include:

  • 5Rhythms practice and theory (expect both gentle & vigorous movement)
  • Trauma-sensitive mindfulness practice and philosophy
  • Seated meditation
  • Walking meditation
  • Live music
  • Sound healing
  • Sharing circles

Please note: This work is trauma-informed. This group is not trauma-focused.

Recommended Reading: Dancing With Dharma: Essays on Movement And Dance In Western Buddhism” edited by Harrison Blum, Published by McFarland & Company, Sweat Your Prayers  by Gabrielle Roth, Maps to Ecstasy by Gabrielle Roth and Connections by Gabrielle Roth

Lucia Horan

Lucia Horan was born in 1976 on the sacred land of Esalen in Big Sur. She was raised in the Esalen community and taught the practices that were developed by those who came before her. She was certified as an Esalen® Massage practitioner in 1994. She became a Hatha & Ashtanga yoga teacher in 1997. Lucia received lifelong direct training with Gabrielle Roth in the 5Rhythms® moving meditation practice and has been teaching 5Rhythms since 1998. She also has a BA from Goddard College with a major in expressive art therapy.

Full Bio