Somewhere inside you — buried deeply, or maybe just below the surface — there is a story you’ve been wanting to tell. This is the workshop that will help you tell it. Through mindfulness practices, writing, and movement, you will have a chance to connect to that deeper authentic story and that deeper authentic You. No matter where you are on your journey, beginner or expert, there is space for you here.
And in this space, we will disconnect from our devices and our default-world lives, and immerse ourselves in the open air of Esalen.
In a group setting, you will be guided to move your body, find your breath, observe your mind, and fill pages with your words. This workshop will include:
As educators, storytellers, and human do-ers, Cara and Darnell truly believe in growth and happiness. They have co-created this course while they worked together at Esalen as Teachers in Residence to help connect the seekers to their paths, and to encourage them to find ways to get from where they are to where they want to be. Join Cara and Darnell for this amazing long weekend, and lean in to the symbiotic relationship between movement and writing, and the magic that happens when they come together.
Continuing education for this course is available through the leader.
Lead photo by Addison Olian
Cara understands the vital practice of quieting the mind and grounding the body. She designed a practice to support self-discovery and cultivate a mind-body connection using her storytelling background in entertainment paired with yoga, meditation, and psychology-based practices.
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Darnell writes because writing somehow keeps the world from collapsing in on itself. As an author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter, Darnell approaches the page with an enormous amount of tenderness and audacity, teaching others to do the same.
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Friday
8:30 pm - 10:00 pm
Saturday
9:30 am - 12:45 pm
3:00 pm - 6:15 pm
Sunday
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
4:15 pm - 6:15 pm
8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Monday
10:00 am - 12:00 pm
More activities can be found on our open class schedule.
See general schedule information including arrival, departure and meal times.
Click Register Now to view availability of accommodations and all-inclusive, program-specific tuition. Please note that not all accommodation levels are available for every workshop and additional faculty fees may apply.
We offer scholarship funds for those with financial need. Learn more.
For this workshop, you will register and pay for accommodations and tuition in two separate steps.
Second, click Book Accommodations from this page and enter the password to complete your reservation to stay at Esalen.
Prices for accommodations include your lodging, meals, open classes, and use of the baths and other facilities. View partner program accommodations pricing.
All guests and faculty must provide proof of negative test results at time of check-in. Please read our current COVID safety guidelines for complete details prior to booking your stay.
In addition to proof of vaccination, all guests and faculty must provide proof of negative test results at time of check-in. Please read our current COVID safety guidelines for complete details prior to booking your stay.
Effective January 7, 2022 in response to the rapid spread of the new Omicron variant, all guests and faculty will provide proof of negative PCR, NAAT, or antigen test results at time of check-in. The test must be taken within 72 hours nd results must come from a laboratory or healthcare provider.Please read our updated COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Effective December 15 in accordance with new guidance from Governor Gavin Newsom and the California Department of Health, all guests, students, staff, residents, and faculty are required to wear masks in all indoor public settings, irrespective of vaccine status, for the next four weeks (December 15, 2021 through January 15, 2022). Please read our updated COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Effective November 19, 2021, in accordance with new guidance from the Monterey County Board of Supervisors, all guests, students, staff, residents, and faculty are no longer required to wear masks indoors on campus. Please read our updated COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Starting November 5, 2021, due to substantial levels of COVID-19 transmission in Monterey County, a mask mandate established by the Monterey County Board of Supervisors will go into effect. Please read our COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
All guests will be required to provide proof of vaccination upon arrival starting September 3, 2021. Please read our COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
Masks are no longer mandated indoors or outdoors, except during massage sessions. Guests are not required to provide testing or vaccination verification before arriving on campus. Please read our COVID safety guidelines prior to booking your stay.
March 31 – April 3, 2023
Applications are closed.
Somewhere inside you — buried deeply, or maybe just below the surface — there is a story you’ve been wanting to tell. This is the workshop that will help you tell it. Through mindfulness practices, writing, and movement, you will have a chance to connect to that deeper authentic story and that deeper authentic You. No matter where you are on your journey, beginner or expert, there is space for you here.
And in this space, we will disconnect from our devices and our default-world lives, and immerse ourselves in the open air of Esalen.
In a group setting, you will be guided to move your body, find your breath, observe your mind, and fill pages with your words. This workshop will include:
As educators, storytellers, and human do-ers, Cara and Darnell truly believe in growth and happiness. They have co-created this course while they worked together at Esalen as Teachers in Residence to help connect the seekers to their paths, and to encourage them to find ways to get from where they are to where they want to be. Join Cara and Darnell for this amazing long weekend, and lean in to the symbiotic relationship between movement and writing, and the magic that happens when they come together.
Cara understands the vital practice of quieting the mind and grounding the body. She designed a practice to support self-discovery and cultivate a mind-body connection using her storytelling background in entertainment paired with yoga, meditation, and psychology-based practices.
Darnell writes because writing somehow keeps the world from collapsing in on itself. As an author, poet, playwright, and screenwriter, Darnell approaches the page with an enormous amount of tenderness and audacity, teaching others to do the same.
Esalen Institute
55000 Highway 1
Big Sur, CA 93920
US: 1-831-667-3000
info@esalen.org