Raphael Cushnir will travel anywhere to share this process with individuals and groups. He will also work with people by phone or Zoom. All appointments are on a donation only, sliding scale basis. To explore further, please click here to contact Raphael.
Raphael’s Workshops: Beyond the Blurbs
The video provides a description of Raphael’s weekend workshop, and also his week-long intensive. Included are event highlights, as well as the main differences between the two programs. Then, a discussion follows about what makes each retreat environment distinctive, including Esalen, Kripalu, Hollyhock, Breitenbush, Omega and Indralaya.
Setting Your Heart on Fire: A Passionate Practice to Liberate Your Life
RAPHAEL CUSHNIR
Esalen Institute, Big Sur, California
April 3–5, 2026
“To live in accord with love is to set your heart on fire. In the crucible of such an inferno all convention burns away. What’s left is an entirely new kind of existence, one full of passion, presence and infinite possibility.” — Setting Your Heart on Fire
What if you could fall absolutely in love with every moment? What if you could use love’s radiance to heal your deepest wounds, break through any personal challenges, and even meet this confounding moment in the history of the world with conviction, vigor, and effective action?
All of this happens naturally when you stop trying to change life and instead learn to relax into it. This workshop is designed to meet you where you are and then call forth your very best. You’ll discover the simple, practical steps necessary to feel all emotions with willingness and compassion, uncover and transform your limiting beliefs, and create a life of greater ease, joy, and exquisite connection.
This weekend is primarily experiential. It’s designed with the recognition that your heart is already on fire; our job is to remove what’s dampening the flame. The key explorations and practices of the gathering:
- Take place solo, in dyads and triads
- Focus on the use of precise attention
- Are mainly centered in the body
- Feature movement and active imagination
- Culminate in an “inner surfing” modality that combines vipassana, metta, and tantric approaches
Special note: On Saturday night our group will host a Freestyle Dance Jam, with Raphael as DJ, as a gift for ourselves and everyone at Esalen that night. Remember to pack some loose fitting attire and get ready to rock and roll and shake and swing and let it all go!
Recommended reading Raphael Cushnir, The One Thing Holding You Back
Setting Your Heart on Fire: A Passionate Practice to Liberate Your Life
RAPHAEL CUSHNIR
Kripalu, Lenox, Massachusetts
June 26–28, 2026
Call Forth Your Very Best
What if you could fall absolutely in love with every moment? What if you could use love’s radiance to heal your deepest wounds and break through any personal challenges—whether they are related to your career, relationships, family, weight, self-esteem, or addiction?
All of this happens naturally when you stop trying to change your life and instead learn to relax into it.
Join author and emotional intelligence expert, Raphael Cushnir, for a program designed to meet you where you are so you call forth your very best. Through individual and group work, gentle movement, and “inner surfing” (a modality that combines vipassana, metta, and tantric approaches), you will:
- Uncover and transform your limiting beliefs.
- Feel all of your emotions with willingness and compassion.
- Create a life of greater ease, joy, and exquisite connection.
This weekend is primarily experiential, and includes practical steps designed with the recognition that your heart is already on fire. Raphael will simply help you remove what’s dampening the flame.
Note: On Saturday night, the program will host a freestyle dance jam—with Raphael as DJ—for everyone at Kripalu that night. Please pack loose-fitting attire for movement and get ready to shake, swing, and let it all go.
Recommended Reading Raphael Cushnir, Setting Your Heart on Fire and The One Thing Holding You Back