A travel advisory is in effect for Highway 1 to our north. Learn more about repairs at the baths.
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

Soulstice Soulfire: Embodied Awakening Through Yoga, Dance, and Sound

June 22–26, 2026

Cristi Christensen with Guest Musician Marques Wyatt

The Summer Solstice is the moment when light lingers longest — a turning point of illumination, expansion, and renewal. Just after the longest day of the year, we’ll gather on the wild cliffs of Esalen to remember this truth: The spark of your soul has never gone out. It may have flickered through the seasons of your life, but the ember remains — steady, luminous, and ready to rise.

Soulstice Soulfire is a full-body creative awakening with yoga, dance, chakra activation, sound, and ritual that both ignites and nourishes your inner fire. These practices awaken your inner light and reconnect you with the sacred healing intelligence that lives within your body.

Throughout the week, you’ll engage in:

  • Dynamic somatic movement, including daily yoga practices, Kundalini kriyas, and transformational dance experiences such as Deep Exhale.
  • Immersive musical guidance, with every session powered by Marques Wyatt’s live DJ soundscapes, crafted to uplift, energize, and deepen your movement.
  • Supportive sonic healing, including crystal alchemy bowls integrated into yin, soma, and meditation practices for grounding, deep restoration, and amplifying your solstice vision.
  • Chakra and subtle-body teachings to explore the chakras as seven flames of consciousness and to dissolve the malas, the veils that obscure inner light.
  • Ritual and reflections, including Summer Solstice Vision Setting, guided journaling, contemplation, and simple practices you can bring into your daily life.
  • An evening sound journey at the Esalen baths, where movement yields to stillness and sound opens portals of release, clarity, and renewal.

Allow a continuous sonic field — Marques’ hypnotic soundscapes paired with Cristi’s bowls — to carry you through activation, integration, and awakening.

This retreat welcomes all levels and all bodies. Come as you are; leave more awake, more alive, and more connected to the light within. By the end of our time together, you are invited to awaken and balance your chakra energy; reclaim your vitality, clarity, and creative flow; experience deeper embodiment, expression, and self-trust; feel nourished, inspired, and connected to inner illumination; and return home with an inner fire that sets your soul alight, along with simple, powerful tools to sustain that illumination.

Recommended Reading: Chakra Rituals by Cristi Christensen

Cristi Christensen

Cristi Christensen, a former elite gymnast and diver, overcame a severe injury and advanced-stage cancer, inspiring her teachings on resilience and healing. Author of Chakra Rituals, she leads global programs emphasizing body-rooted practices and women's empowerment.

Full Bio

Marques Wyatt

Marques Wyatt is a seminal pioneer and one of the most respected DJs in the United States. A West Coast legend and founder of the long running (20 years) institution for dance music, DEEP-LA, Marques' selections are sure to stir up some emotions and are known to turn huge dance floors into intimate rituals.

Full Bio