What's new
What's coming up, what's open this week, what we're sitting with. Retreat dates, drop-in sits in Tulum and online, and recent writing from Chi and the community.
For those that don't have a month — 10 days intensive
Ten days of complete silence: no phone, no screens, no talking. A private one-on-one with Chi every single day, working directly with what's running in you. Full digital detox and a raw vegan diet, held by a fixed daily rhythm of meditation, movement, and intermittent fasting. A small group throughout.
Learn more
- 01July 3 — 12MidsummerFri → Sun · 9 nights1 spot left
- 02July 31 — Aug 9Late summerFri → Sun · 9 nights— spots left
- 03September 4 — 13Early autumnFri → Sun · 9 nights— spots left
Upcoming events
- 19:00EST (Tulum)Every night
Qigong drop-in
Energy work to wake the body and settle the mind. Push the gate, leave your shoes, join in. No booking, no experience needed.
On site · drop inFree
From the table, the land, the desk
Pieces by Chi, by residents, by people who came and stayed. News from the land, the kitchen, the cohort. One feed, newest first.
The art of surrender
Releasing "my way" and merging with "the way" — what arrives when we stop trying to control our environment.
Alone with your thoughts
On the rare experience of meeting your own mind — and the freedom that waits on the other side of stillness.
Awakening beyond possession and control
Two forces shape how we hold life — possession and control. What remains when we loosen the grip?
Guestbook: Kelly
Kelly returns to The Essence for a month or two every year. A few words on what living in community makes possible.
Guestbook: Fabian
Fabian came to The Essence after more than a decade of chronic pain that began with a tumor diagnosis at seventeen. Fourteen months in the community, in his own words.
Guestbook: Sam
Sam came for a two-week retreat and stayed eight months. In her own words — fifteen years of searching, and what finally let her stop.
