Three world-class artists from last year’s annual Seasonal Series are returning to Esalen in the fall as workshop leaders. This September, holistic dance educator Amy Secada, interdisciplinary vocalist and composer Odeya Nini, and Guillermo Martinez, a master craftsman of Mesoamerican instruments, will help us go deeper and reconnect to the source through body, breath, and sound.
Some artists don’t just teach — they conjure. They listen to the land, speak to the moment, and leave something lasting in the field. Through our exploratory Seasonal Series — an initiative developed to bring world-class, living artists into ritual conversation with the land, the times, and our community — we invited facilitators working at the vanguard of movement, sound, and ancestral craft. These were seasonal portals, attuned to the rhythms of the Earth and designed to meet the moment with soul.
This fall, we’re honored to welcome back three extraordinary Seasonal Series artists: Amy Secada, whose movement alchemy channels Afro-Brazilian cosmology and trance-based ritual; Odeya Nini, whose vocal work awakens the body as resonant field and emotional instrument; and Guillermo Martinez, whose sacred instrument-making carries Indigenous memory and medicine. Each of them returns not simply to offer more, but to go deeper — to continue the conversation between practice and place.
Amy Secada arrived for Summer Groove 2024 like a thunderclap. A movement artist rooted in Afro-Brazilian cosmologies, her work braids trance, dance, and ancestral channeling into a single electrifying current. Her presence cracks open body and spirit — grounded, ecstatic, unforgettable.
She returns September 1–5 with Dance of the Chakras, a somatic journey through the seven energy centers. Guided by free-form movement, breathwork, and visualization — woven with yogic philosophy and Afro‑Indigenous healing practices — Amy invites us to awaken the body as altar and the dance as prayer.
Guillermo Martinez, master instrument maker, musician, and steward of Indigenous sound traditions, first joined us for Summer Groove 2024 and returned for Go Within. Guillermo doesn’t just play — he summons. His music opens portals to memory, to myth, to the sacred geometries encoded in land and lineage. A beloved presence at Esalen, his return is an honoring of deep kinship.
Guillermo will lead Crafting the Sacred Trilogy of Native American Instruments from September 15–19. Participants will create and activate three ancestral tools: the bamboo flute, elk-hide drum, and rattle, each one a tactile prayer, a sonic bridge, and a ceremonial act of remembrance.
Odeya Nini joined us for Go Within 2024. A vocal alchemist whose practice fuses avant-garde technique with deep somatic awareness, she leads participants into the raw, intimate truth of their own voices. Her sessions feel like sonic rebirths — tender, wild, and luminous.
She returns on September 1–5 with Free the Resonant Voice, a deeply embodied vocal immersion. Through sound meditations, improvisation, and breath, Odeya will help each participant reclaim the voice as a channel of vibration, medicine, and self-liberation. Here, voice becomes ceremony.
These three artists embody the heart of the Seasonal Series, a curated rhythm of offerings that align with more than just the calendar. They teach us what it means to return to the source through body, breath, and sound. Through hands that craft, feet that remember, and voices that rise like prayer.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Lead image created by Midjourney prompted by Sadia Bruce.
Sadia Bruce brings an integrative approach to her dual roles at Esalen as both a creative strategist and an embodied teacher. As Director of Product, she designs transformative experiences that bridge Esalen’s rich legacy with contemporary relevance, curating programming that is both innovative and responsive to the evolving pulse of the world. Her leadership weaves strategic foresight with creative intuition, shaping offerings that honor Esalen’s experimental roots while cultivating resonance with today’s seekers.
Three world-class artists from last year’s annual Seasonal Series are returning to Esalen in the fall as workshop leaders. This September, holistic dance educator Amy Secada, interdisciplinary vocalist and composer Odeya Nini, and Guillermo Martinez, a master craftsman of Mesoamerican instruments, will help us go deeper and reconnect to the source through body, breath, and sound.
Some artists don’t just teach — they conjure. They listen to the land, speak to the moment, and leave something lasting in the field. Through our exploratory Seasonal Series — an initiative developed to bring world-class, living artists into ritual conversation with the land, the times, and our community — we invited facilitators working at the vanguard of movement, sound, and ancestral craft. These were seasonal portals, attuned to the rhythms of the Earth and designed to meet the moment with soul.
This fall, we’re honored to welcome back three extraordinary Seasonal Series artists: Amy Secada, whose movement alchemy channels Afro-Brazilian cosmology and trance-based ritual; Odeya Nini, whose vocal work awakens the body as resonant field and emotional instrument; and Guillermo Martinez, whose sacred instrument-making carries Indigenous memory and medicine. Each of them returns not simply to offer more, but to go deeper — to continue the conversation between practice and place.
Amy Secada arrived for Summer Groove 2024 like a thunderclap. A movement artist rooted in Afro-Brazilian cosmologies, her work braids trance, dance, and ancestral channeling into a single electrifying current. Her presence cracks open body and spirit — grounded, ecstatic, unforgettable.
She returns September 1–5 with Dance of the Chakras, a somatic journey through the seven energy centers. Guided by free-form movement, breathwork, and visualization — woven with yogic philosophy and Afro‑Indigenous healing practices — Amy invites us to awaken the body as altar and the dance as prayer.
Guillermo Martinez, master instrument maker, musician, and steward of Indigenous sound traditions, first joined us for Summer Groove 2024 and returned for Go Within. Guillermo doesn’t just play — he summons. His music opens portals to memory, to myth, to the sacred geometries encoded in land and lineage. A beloved presence at Esalen, his return is an honoring of deep kinship.
Guillermo will lead Crafting the Sacred Trilogy of Native American Instruments from September 15–19. Participants will create and activate three ancestral tools: the bamboo flute, elk-hide drum, and rattle, each one a tactile prayer, a sonic bridge, and a ceremonial act of remembrance.
Odeya Nini joined us for Go Within 2024. A vocal alchemist whose practice fuses avant-garde technique with deep somatic awareness, she leads participants into the raw, intimate truth of their own voices. Her sessions feel like sonic rebirths — tender, wild, and luminous.
She returns on September 1–5 with Free the Resonant Voice, a deeply embodied vocal immersion. Through sound meditations, improvisation, and breath, Odeya will help each participant reclaim the voice as a channel of vibration, medicine, and self-liberation. Here, voice becomes ceremony.
These three artists embody the heart of the Seasonal Series, a curated rhythm of offerings that align with more than just the calendar. They teach us what it means to return to the source through body, breath, and sound. Through hands that craft, feet that remember, and voices that rise like prayer.
Lead image created by Midjourney prompted by Sadia Bruce.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Sadia Bruce brings an integrative approach to her dual roles at Esalen as both a creative strategist and an embodied teacher. As Director of Product, she designs transformative experiences that bridge Esalen’s rich legacy with contemporary relevance, curating programming that is both innovative and responsive to the evolving pulse of the world. Her leadership weaves strategic foresight with creative intuition, shaping offerings that honor Esalen’s experimental roots while cultivating resonance with today’s seekers.
Three world-class artists from last year’s annual Seasonal Series are returning to Esalen in the fall as workshop leaders. This September, holistic dance educator Amy Secada, interdisciplinary vocalist and composer Odeya Nini, and Guillermo Martinez, a master craftsman of Mesoamerican instruments, will help us go deeper and reconnect to the source through body, breath, and sound.
Some artists don’t just teach — they conjure. They listen to the land, speak to the moment, and leave something lasting in the field. Through our exploratory Seasonal Series — an initiative developed to bring world-class, living artists into ritual conversation with the land, the times, and our community — we invited facilitators working at the vanguard of movement, sound, and ancestral craft. These were seasonal portals, attuned to the rhythms of the Earth and designed to meet the moment with soul.
This fall, we’re honored to welcome back three extraordinary Seasonal Series artists: Amy Secada, whose movement alchemy channels Afro-Brazilian cosmology and trance-based ritual; Odeya Nini, whose vocal work awakens the body as resonant field and emotional instrument; and Guillermo Martinez, whose sacred instrument-making carries Indigenous memory and medicine. Each of them returns not simply to offer more, but to go deeper — to continue the conversation between practice and place.
Amy Secada arrived for Summer Groove 2024 like a thunderclap. A movement artist rooted in Afro-Brazilian cosmologies, her work braids trance, dance, and ancestral channeling into a single electrifying current. Her presence cracks open body and spirit — grounded, ecstatic, unforgettable.
She returns September 1–5 with Dance of the Chakras, a somatic journey through the seven energy centers. Guided by free-form movement, breathwork, and visualization — woven with yogic philosophy and Afro‑Indigenous healing practices — Amy invites us to awaken the body as altar and the dance as prayer.
Guillermo Martinez, master instrument maker, musician, and steward of Indigenous sound traditions, first joined us for Summer Groove 2024 and returned for Go Within. Guillermo doesn’t just play — he summons. His music opens portals to memory, to myth, to the sacred geometries encoded in land and lineage. A beloved presence at Esalen, his return is an honoring of deep kinship.
Guillermo will lead Crafting the Sacred Trilogy of Native American Instruments from September 15–19. Participants will create and activate three ancestral tools: the bamboo flute, elk-hide drum, and rattle, each one a tactile prayer, a sonic bridge, and a ceremonial act of remembrance.
Odeya Nini joined us for Go Within 2024. A vocal alchemist whose practice fuses avant-garde technique with deep somatic awareness, she leads participants into the raw, intimate truth of their own voices. Her sessions feel like sonic rebirths — tender, wild, and luminous.
She returns on September 1–5 with Free the Resonant Voice, a deeply embodied vocal immersion. Through sound meditations, improvisation, and breath, Odeya will help each participant reclaim the voice as a channel of vibration, medicine, and self-liberation. Here, voice becomes ceremony.
These three artists embody the heart of the Seasonal Series, a curated rhythm of offerings that align with more than just the calendar. They teach us what it means to return to the source through body, breath, and sound. Through hands that craft, feet that remember, and voices that rise like prayer.
“Remembering to be as self compassionate as I can and praying to the divine that we're all a part of.”
–Aaron
“Prayer, reading, meditation, walking.”
–Karen
“Erratically — which is an ongoing stream of practice to find peace.”
–Charles
“Try on a daily basis to be kind to myself and to realize that making mistakes is a part of the human condition. Learning from our mistakes is a journey. But it starts with compassion and caring. First for oneself.”
–Steve
“Physically: aerobic exercise, volleyball, ice hockey, cycling, sailing. Emotionally: unfortunately I have to work to ‘not care’ about people or situations which may end painfully. Along the lines of ‘attachment is the source of suffering’, so best to avoid it or limit its scope. Sad though because it could also be the source of great joy. Is it worth the risk?“
–Rainer
“It's time for my heart to be nurtured on one level yet contained on another. To go easy on me and to allow my feelings to be validated, not judged harshly. On the other hand, to let the heart rule with equanimity and not lead the mind and body around like a master.”
–Suzanne
“I spend time thinking of everything I am grateful for, and I try to develop my ability to express compassion for myself and others without reservation. I take time to do the things I need to do to keep myself healthy and happy. This includes taking experiential workshops, fostering relationships, and participating within groups which have a similar interest to become a more compassionate and fulfilled being.“
–Peter
“Self-forgiveness for my own judgments. And oh yeah, coming to Esalen.”
–David B.
“Hmm, this is a tough one! I guess I take care of my heart through fostering relationships with people I feel connected to. Spending quality time with them (whether we're on the phone, through messages/letters, on Zoom, or in-person). Being there for them, listening to them, sharing what's going on with me, my struggles and my successes... like we do in the Esalen weekly Friends of Esalen Zoom sessions!”
–Lori
“I remind myself in many ways of the fact that " Love is all there is!" LOVE is the prize and this one precious life is the stage we get to learn our lessons. I get out into nature, hike, camp, river kayak, fly fish, garden, I create, I dance (not enough!), and I remain grateful for each day, each breath, each moment. Being in the moment, awake, and remembering the gift of life and my feeling of gratitude for all of creation.”
–Steven
“My physical heart by limiting stress and eating a heart-healthy diet. My emotional heart by staying in love with the world and by knowing that all disappointment and loss will pass.“
–David Z.
Today, September 29, is World Heart Day. Strike up a conversation with your own heart and as you feel comfortable, encourage others to do the same. As part of our own transformations and self-care, we sometimes ask for others to illuminate and enliven our hearts or speak our love language.
What if we could do this for ourselves too, even if just for today… or to start a heart practice, forever?
Sadia Bruce brings an integrative approach to her dual roles at Esalen as both a creative strategist and an embodied teacher. As Director of Product, she designs transformative experiences that bridge Esalen’s rich legacy with contemporary relevance, curating programming that is both innovative and responsive to the evolving pulse of the world. Her leadership weaves strategic foresight with creative intuition, shaping offerings that honor Esalen’s experimental roots while cultivating resonance with today’s seekers.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org
