The temple bell stops, but the sound keeps coming out of the flowers. – Matsuo Basho
Esalen Institute
In search of balance, the ancient sages of China walked into the woods to attune themselves with nature in its sublime integrity. The timeless wisdom uncovered in their wild wanderings was called simply Tao, “The Way.”
Qigong — the practice at the heart of Taoism — is dedicated to harmonizing body, mind, and spirit with the elements of nature. In this age, when so many of us feel disconnected and overwhelmed, wilderness remains a powerful healer and teacher, and qigong can bring us back to center.
Join us to learn an accessible qigong form called wai dan gong (“easy tao”) while immersing in the majestic landscape of Big Sur, the ancestral homeland of the Esselen tribe. We rise each morning to practice, harmonizing breath and movements with the flow of waves greeting Esalen’s cliffs. After breakfast, we set out on a wilderness hike to mindfully explore Big Sur’s enchanted redwoods, sun-steeped meadows, and mountains that rise from the sea. All along the trail, we explore qigong and Taoist philosophy as pathways for returning to a grounded, spacious, revitalized state of being — in harmony with nature, embodying Wild Tao.
Registration
Please register here. (link will take you to Esalen’s website).
A Few Things to Note
Answers to frequently asked questions about the workshop can be found here.
Various hiking abilities can be accommodated, bearing in mind that day hikes are three–eight miles in length, with uneven and often steep terrain. If you have any questions about your ability to participate, please read the workshop FAQs.
Tuition varies depending upon accommodations at Esalen. A $75 parks permit & parking fee will be added to the workshop tuition.
Meet your guides
Fletcher Tucker
Wildtender Co-Founder Fletcher was raised by the foggy redwood ravines and fragrant chaparral bluffs of the Esselen tribal territory now known as Big Sur, California. Fletcher is a lifelong student of natural history, an ancestral skills practitioner, devotee of trail-craft and minimalist backpacking, an experienced teacher of adults and children, and a multidisciplinary artist.
Fletcher’s inner work includes ongoing exploration in Zen and Taoist practices/philosophy; over a decade of study in the Gestalt lineage of Esalen Institute co-founder Dick Price; and engagement with the Earth-reverent, spiritual practices of his own Celtic and northern European ancestors.
Fletcher is a NOLS certified Wilderness First Responder.
Jim Gallas
Jim is a Qi Gong, shiatsu massage, and Reiki teacher, as well as a certified yoga instructor. For more than 15 years, Jim has led workshops in California and internationally. He has taught seniors, children, and high risk teenagers, the chronically ill and the vibrantly healthy, corporate hot shots in Silicon Valley and villagers in foreign countries. Jim lives in Santa Cruz, and Sayulita where he is a founding member of the Haramara Healing Center and leads workshops in yoga, massage, Qi Gong, and expressive movement.