Contacting the Space Between: Gestalt, Feldenkrais, and the Subtle Body

Imagine five days suspended between the sky and sea at Big Sur, where your body's deepest patterns begin to soften and reorganize—not through force, but through curious awareness. Contacting the Space Between invites you into an intimate exploration of how you organize yourself physically and relationally, guided by movement educators Kate Flore and Dwight Pargee at the legendary Esalen Institute. This isn't a yoga workshop in the traditional sense; it's a somatic retreat that uses the Feldenkrais Method and Gestalt process to illuminate the relationship between habitual movement patterns and your capacity for presence, ease, and genuine connection with others.

Over five transformative days in Big Sur (October 19–23, 2026), you'll discover how fascia, gravity, and early developmental imprints shape not only how you move, but how you show up in the world. The faculty guides participants through Awareness Through Movement lessons—gentle, exploratory sequences that refine functional movement while awakening sensitivity to what lies beyond the obvious: the subtle body, the space between self and other, the ground that holds you. Set against Esalen's stunning coastal landscape, the work becomes a living laboratory where your nervous system can truly settle and recalibrate.

This workshop rests on a liberating premise: when bodies are given conditions for attuned, curious engagement with their environment, greater freedom emerges naturally. You'll leave with practical tools for accessing ease in daily life and a renewed sense of how much choice is actually available to you.

What to Expect

Expect a contemplative, slow-paced immersion rather than a physically demanding program. Days begin and end with gentle Awareness Through Movement lessons that invite your nervous system to explore new possibilities of organization and sensation. Through experiential inquiry, you'll investigate how contact with the ground, gravity, and your environment shapes your sense of self—and how refining these relationships can deepen your presence and relational awareness.

The atmosphere is one of gentle exploration and self-discovery. Kate Flore and Dwight Pargee create a container for curiosity, not correction. You'll work with concepts of fascia, developmental movement patterns, and self-organization, but always through your own felt experience. By the final day, most participants report a palpable shift: easier movement, deeper breathing, expanded spatial awareness, and a tangible sense of coming home to their own bodies.

Venue & Logistics

This five-day workshop takes place at Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California—one of North America's most sacred retreat centers, perched on cliffs overlooking the Pacific. The program runs Monday, October 19 through Friday, October 23, 2026. Wear comfortable, unrestricting clothing; bring a notebook if journaling supports your process. The work is accessible to all bodies and experience levels; prior yoga or somatic training is not required. Esalen accommodates various accessibility needs—contact the venue directly for specific requests.