March 26, 27, 28, 2027

Esalen Institute, 55000 Hwy 1, Big Sur, CA

Our ancestors explored spirit-led movement to embody ecstatic states for generations. Whether as a form of celebration, mourning, or prayer, ecstatic dance has long served as sacred medicine, healing the hearts of individuals and communities. 

Join us on this sacred land for a transformative weekend of ecstatic dance ceremony — a journey to tap into the body’s ancestral wisdom, alchemize stored emotions, and liberate the spirit. Supported by live music provided by an award-winning ecstatic dance DJ, we’ll surrender to freeform movement, awaken our power, and manifest hope.

Together, we will explore:

• Ecstatic dance journeys created by a live DJ.

• Grounding prayers to root into the spirit and awaken ancestral wisdom.

• Partner games that spark joy, connection, and embodied trust.

• Mirroring and witnessing practices that deepen attunement and compassion.

Jungle Haus, an ecstatic dance DJ, will weave Afro rhythms, percussion, and worldly sounds, inviting us to move, connect, and awaken through the healing power of dance.

Gabriel Logan Braun, a sound healer, will create soundscapes to welcome our energetic balance and integration.

Let’s cultivate collective empowerment and create a fully inclusive dance community rooted in presence, reverence, and prayer to groove with the divine as an offering of love. No dance experience required.

Reach out if you want to collaborate and bring an offering to your community.

Sacred Groove is an ecstatic dance ceremony rooted in sacred expression, embodied movement, and connection. Through an immersive musical journey and uninhibited free-form dance, participants are invited to release emotional conditioning, reconnect with the wisdom of the body, and explore movement as a pathway to healing, liberation, and spiritual connection. Sacred Groove creates a welcoming, intentional space to move beyond the limitations of everyday life, honor the body as a sacred vessel, and experience the transformative power of dance, community, and embodied expression.

Beyond Contact is a trauma- and resilience-informed Contact Improvisation workshop exploring the relationship between movement, touch, trust, and connection through the lens of attachment theory. Participants are invited to explore how our nervous systems shape the ways we relate, communicate, set boundaries, and respond to closeness, while developing greater awareness of self and others through embodied movement and co-regulation. With an emphasis on consent, choice, curiosity, and resilience, Beyond Contact offers a supportive space to explore connection through dance while cultivating greater capacity for presence, trust, co-regulation, and authentic relationship.

Grief Dance is a somatic movement practice that invites participants to explore grief through the wisdom and language of the body. Through music, free-form movement, reflection, and embodied expression, participants are given space to honor what has been lost, feel what is present, and gently move with the emotions that accompany grief. Rather than seeking to fix or move beyond grief, this offering creates space to be with it, allowing movement to support release, connection, integration, and the ongoing process of healing.

Reclaiming the Sacred is an experiential workshop exploring prayer as a personal, embodied, and place-based practice beyond religious expectation, dogma, or allegiance. Rooted in the Indigenous history and living presence of the land, participants are invited to explore their relationship with prayer through conversation, movement, somatic practices, reflection, and collective prayer. Together, we will explore how our unique spiritual gifts shape our connection to the Divine, how prayer can offer healing, discernment, and strength, and how we can cultivate a deeper relationship with the land we inhabit. This welcoming space honors diverse beliefs and spiritual paths while inviting participants to build greater spiritual intimacy with self, each other, and the land.

Queer Liberation is an experiential workshop exploring 2SLGBTQIA+ storytelling, inner child work, and social justice reform. Through personal and collective storytelling, participants are invited to explore the experiences, identities, and cultural narratives that have shaped their relationship with themselves and the world. Drawing from Gestalt practices, the workshop creates space to connect with younger parts of ourselves, give voice to unmet needs, reclaim aspects of identity, and cultivate greater self-compassion and freedom. Together, we will explore how personal healing and collective liberation are interconnected, honoring the resilience of 2SLGBTQIA+ communities while imagining new possibilities for justice, belonging, and authentic expression.