Beginning March 9, 2026 we will begin maintenance work at the baths on Mondays. Learn More.
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

Sacred Tobacco: Hapé and the Art of Presence

April 3–5, 2026

Glauber Loures de Assis

Hapé, a sacred tobacco preparation, has been used by Indigenous peoples across the Amazon as a medicine for clarity, presence, and connection for centuries. Blown gently into the nostrils, this finely ground blend of tobacco leaves and sacred ashes activates the senses in a unique way, opening inner vision and anchoring attention in the present moment. Traditionally used in ceremony, Hapé invites stillness, deepens awareness, and connects practitioners to both their inner landscape and the living forest.

Together, we will take part in a hands-on preparation of Hapé itself for an embodied practice that honors its lineage while creating a shared field of reverence. In preparing Hapé together, participants directly encounter the care, ritual, and mindfulness that go into its making, deepening our relationship to the medicine before it is received. Once prepared, we will enter into ceremony to experience Hapé as a mindfulness tool — to explore how this ancestral medicine can enhance meditation, sharpen presence, and open pathways of reverence, reciprocity, and inner reflection.

As interest in mindfulness and plant medicines grows in the Global North, this is a rare opportunity to build a bridge between ancient contemplative traditions and modern practices of meditation.

Participants will:

  • Discover the cultural, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of Hapé within Indigenous traditions.
  • Identify best practices for integrating Hapé mindfully and respectfully into diverse contexts.
  • Experience Hapé within a contemplative framework designed to deepen meditation and self-awareness.
  • Prepare Hapé using traditional methods, guided by cultural sensitivity and embodied learning.
  • Participate in a Hapé ceremony.

This is an invitation to experience an ancient practice through a new lens — one that connects forest wisdom and contemporary contemplative life.

This workshop includes a $25 materials fee.

Glauber Loures de Assis

Dr. Glauber Loures de Assis is a researcher of sacred plants and their traditions. He has 15 years of experience with ayahuasca, hapé, and other sacred plants and has led more than 500 ceremonies and events in Brazil, Europe, and the United States. 

Full Bio