science meets spirituality at the annual science and nonduality conference in san jose, california. learn from the world’s greatest philosophers, teachers, scientists and wisdom keepers what is happening at the cutting-edge of higher consciousness.

Imagine being surrounded by the world’s top consciousness researchers, philosophers, spiritual teachers, scientists and artists—all sharing their deepest insights and wisdom into the nature of reality, consciousness and spiritual evolution. Now imagine that you are in a historic mansion in beautiful Northern California surrounded by fellow seekers from around the world, all there to grow, expand and evolve on every level; exploring interactive workshops on everything from health and wellness to the nature of reality, spirituality, meditation, mindfulness, energy medicine and just about anything else you can think of.

Cutting-Edge Science Meets Ancient Wisdom for Powerful Personal Transformation

It’s a powerful experience that happens every year as part of the Science and Nonduality Conference aka SAND. Grounded in both cutting-edge science and ancient wisdom, SAND brings together interdisciplinary thought-leaders from around the globe, headlined by dozens of luminaries as diverse as Deepak Chopra (physician, metaphysican, author of 70+ books); physicist Peter Russell (who uniquely blends scientific rationale, global vision, and intuitive wisdom); Sally Kempton (meditation teacher and spiritual philosopher); and legendary physicist and mystic, Fritjof Capra (who encourages us to look at the interdependency of all systems in our lives and the universe as a whole). This year’s theme, The Mystery of Being Human, will be a 5-day immersive gathering to explore what Non-dual teacher and author Will Pye (who learned how to thrive despite having a brain tumor) calls the “BIG questions, utilizing all lenses in a fun environment.” From the perspective of emergence—even with the unique challenges of the 21st century—SAND is a celebration of both science and timeless wisdom traditions that validate the core truth of our existence—that we are not limited or separate.

Over 100 Talks and Workshops: A Selection of Some of Our Favorites

With over 100 speakers and talks, interactive workshops will present cutting-edge theories and practical tools on everything from inner space to outer space, with the potential that your individual awakening shifts a complex, chaotic worldview—what IONS Chief Scientist Dean Radin calls “a major breakdown in how civilization works”—into a composed, unified and humanistic paradigm, a fractal, of how your next-level consciousness affects not only society but the cosmos. Stephen LaBerge, Ph.D. and Mark Gober, exemplify SAND’s twin themes. LaBerge is the first scientist to empirically prove the existence of the phenomena of lucid dreaming. His work has developed this technique into a powerful tool for studying mind-body relationships in the dream state and he has demonstrated the considerable potential for lucid dreaming in the fields of psychotherapy and psychosomatic medicine.  Gober, a Princeton graduate and financial analyst turned consciousness researcher, will be discussing the everyday implications of the findings that consciousness does not emerge from the brain but is a fundamental aspect of reality. You’ll have a chance to learn how these somewhat existential topics actually apply in quite practical ways in our day to day life for greater happiness, health, awareness and ultimately peace of heart and mind. From the past to the future, from the head to the heart, topics will be wide-ranging and compelling; here’s just a sampling:

+ Healing ancestral trauma with Mark Wolynn author of It Didn’t Start with You;

+ Charles Eisenstein’s insight on the ecological initiation and opening the masculine heart;

+ Awakening to the divine feminine with Nadeshwari Joythimayananda;

+ Quantum physics and the boundless mind, presented by Jean Houston, scholar, philosopher and researcher on the human potential movement;

+ Understanding how the Enneagram provides an elegant mapping congruent with current neuroscience and psychological understanding to create a receptive mind;

+ Exploring consciousness through both dreaming and awakening with lucid dreaming expert Stephen LaBerge;

+ How tapping into practical applications of spirituality can create socially impactful, deeply fulfilling and prosperous lives and businesses;

+ On-site, experiential guided meditations and embodiment/movement workshops with leading teachers and researchers.

Join an inspired and vibrant community of co-creators for a 5-day immersion filled with talks, panels, meditation, performances, music and dance that takes place at the elegant, century-old Dolce Hayes Mansion in San Jose, CA. Stroll the palm-dotted gardens while contemplating the great mystery of being human.

Where Science and Spirituality Meet

SAND is a “a real meeting of science and spirituality” comments Peter Russell and author Will Pye concurs, “It’s the connecting of the head and the heart.” Expect these workshops and events to help you find more peace, joy, self-expression and to deepen your understanding of how your unique gifts have a ripple effect that truly creates a shared reality. “Guaranteed at least one person will touch you and change your life forever!” quips ‘Guru Puppetji’.

How to Attend This Years Event

SAND kicks off October 24th-28th with one day of pre-conference workshops. The main conference begins on Thursday evening Oct. 25th at 7 p.m and ends on Sunday afternoon Oct. 28th at 6 p.m. To get tickets, see a program listing with all the talks, workshops and speakers and get all your questions answered, visit their website here: Science and Nonduality Conference

getting wild during a sunrise set of ecstatic dance at the envision festival in costa rica. photo: jb photo, courtesy of envision festival

Ask anyone who’s attended at least a handful of transformational festivals and they’ll be quick to tell you that each of them, like each one of us, has its own unique personality and character. As you wander into the tropical jungle home of Envision Festival, you can’t help but notice that nature most definitely runs the show here. From the undulating buzz of the ever-present cicadas to the detoxifying semi-equatorial heat to the screaming green jungle canopy filled with rainbow-colored birds and curious monkeys, this gathering of consciousness is alive and vibrating with a very unique flavor of elemental energy that’s hard to find anywhere else in the world. Couple that with an endless stream of deeply transformational wisdom teachings and workshops with many of the world’s top conscious thinkers, healers, visionaries, and permaculturists, some of the finest organic, sustainable food in Costa Rica, and the pulsating rhythms of ultra-creative musicians and visual artists, and you’ve got a divinely intoxicating blend that penetrates straight to your core.

The Evolution of Festival Culture

And that’s exactly what festival founder Stephen Brooks is trying to cultivate with Envision Festival, now running into its seventh year deep in the southern jungles of Uvita, Costa Rica. “Our intention is to create an experience that truly spawns transformation over both short- and long-term horizons,” he shared as we interviewed him amidst the midday buzz of the festival in full swing, exotic aromas of tropical fruits and spices wafting in from the colorful nearby food stands. “We want to have an impact that penetrates people’s being… that’s what we are trying to create… that’s our goal.”  Clearly, Stephen and the Envision community don’t want this to be just another festival where people come to party and check out in a drug-fuelled haze, off the grid in some beautiful but semi-cliché part of the world. “Envision is an ignitor!” Stephen exclaims in a moment of passion, as a red-billed Toucan gently shares its song from above our heads. “This is a place for people to find their tribe… to hone in on their vision and their future.” blending old and new, the envision team infused the event with a healthy dose of indigenous culture and spirituality. photo: manuel pinto And we’d have to agree. For us, at least, the highlight of the festival—other than the truly stunning beachside jungle locale and open-hearted, welcoming conscious community hungry for deep connection—were the workshops, which are truly world class in every sense of the word. Envision attracts the crème de la crème of thought leaders in every area relating to consciousness, health, transformation, permaculture, the arts and movement, entrepreneurship and sustainability to share their wisdom and insight in an informal, highly practical, down-to-earth way. At any given moment there were at least three different participatory talks and workshops downloading enlightened ideas into the minds of attendees and spawning new neurological connections, tribe building, and inspired visions for a positive now and future for both Costa Rica and the world at large. In a more secluded corner of the canopy, at any given moment yoga, meditation and movement teachers from around the globe offered food for the body and soul amidst the at times intense daily heat under large, colorful shade structures for those looking for a quieter, more introspective festival experience. Our next favorite thing about Envision was the food. Think organic, local, grass-fed, biodynamic, wildcrafted, gluten-free, all-natural, high vibe goodness from every area of the country—easily the biggest collection of healthy, nourishing food in Central America assembled in one place. From slightly chilled exotic jungle fruits, juices and smoothies from the surrounding communities to cool you off during the peak midday heat to handmade locally sourced organic, vegan veggie burgers served on banana leaves for a hearty meal at night and everything in between, Envision has something for every diet and every taste—all of the highest quality and sourced from permaculture operations throughout the country. Which, of course, should come as no surprise given that festival founder Stephen Brooks has been a pioneer in the growing permaculture and herbalism movement in Costa Rica, working to build sustainable communities based around organic, biodynamic and wildcrafted growing methods throughout the country for over 20 years. a refreshing midday yoga class under the shade of the jungle canopy. photo: eric allen As the founder of the internationally renowned, sustainability and permaculture-focused Punta Mona center for regenerative design and botanical studies in the beautiful southeastern part of the country, his work began in earnest in the mid 1990s as he witnessed the extraordinary environmental destruction that was occurring at the hands of big agriculture as they recklessly destroyed rainforests and sprayed petrochemical pesticides throughout the country, poisoning the people and planet simultaneously. Inspired to not just sit idly by while one of the planet’s greatest areas of plant and animal biodiversity was destroyed, he began working to infuse permaculture values and agriculture throughout the country. Envision Festival is, in large part an extension of that idealism, which today has mushroomed into a massive movement that’s growing throughout the country. As we spoke with Stephen at the festival, he talked about plans to purchase 800 hectares of land in the middle of the jungle to build sustainable communities with local Costa Rican families, permaculture-based ecosystems and cacao plantations all designed to create a holistic, self-sustaining eco-social system based on caring for and synergizing with the planet instead of destroying it. packed house for one of the many transformational workshops going on throughout the festival. photo: jorg photo That ethos runs deep throughout Envision Festival from the food, to the sustainable building materials used to construct the various structures for musicians, artists, speakers and campers, to the composting toilets, and celebration of indigenous culture built into the roots of the event, all of which serve as the foundation for a massive 4-day celebration and party that attracts thousands of visitors from every corner of the planet. But it’s not all workshops, eco-culture and hanging out on the beach. Whatever a transformational festival experience means to you, you can find it at Envision. If partying and running wild until the early hours of the morning is your thing, there’s plenty to keep you busy with three main stages offering all kinds of music from tribal beats to electronica to reggae, house, techno, jam bands and even bossa nova and salsa, honoring the local Costa Rican culture. Mind-bending light shows, aerial performers, fire dancers, drum circles and creatively clad festival goers suddenly appear as the sun goes down, giving way to a more hedonistic experience—although still particularly of a conscious flavor. After all, who doesn’t need a little integration time to just let it all go after an afternoon full of life-changing transformational teaching and culture? If being more mellow and mindful is your thing at night, there are bonfires, drum circles, informal talks and meditations being held in any of the amazing sub-camps and stages peppered throughout the festival grounds. one of the most beautiful beaches in costa rica is just a few minutes walk away from the main festival area at any given moment—a welcome treat during the midday heat. photo: eric allen It is a wild, deep, profound, life-changing, sweaty, nourishing experience that runs a very full four days—but like all good things, it must come to an end… or not.  When asked about his vision for the future, Stephen shared with us that the question he has been asking himself and all the festival organizers for years is: “How can we live like this all the time? How can we take all the best things about this experience and infuse it into our culture?” The answer: Envision-inspired communities, both here in Costa Rica and abroad. Plans and efforts are in the works to launch the ethos- and permaculture-based ideals and community building practices in the United States and throughout Central America. There are also a number of powerful retreats sponsored by and created in collaboration with Envision before and after the festival on everything from herbalism, to permaculture design and implementation, to sacred plant medicine ceremonies, yoga, healing, moving deeper into bodily wisdom, movement and flow and more. The knowledge participants leave with—both from the festival and the retreats—is integrated into the fabric of their being and carried with them wherever they go, spreading the seeds planted at Envision to far corners of the planet, transforming the experience into not just a fond memory, but a living, breathing movement worldwide. Envision is a yearly transformational festival held in late February in the jungles of Uvita, Costa Rica on the southwestern Osa Peninsula. If you are interested in attending the upcoming festival in 2017, you can purchase tickets and find out all the essential details you need to know about attending, retreats, speakers, musicians, artists, vendors and workshops on their website here: envisionfestival.com

getting wild during nighttime ecstatic dance at the envision festival in costa rica. photo: andrew jorgenson, courtesy of envision festival

ENVISION FESTIVAL 2016

UVITA, COSTA RICA February 25-28, 2016 Envision is an evolutionary transformational festival that weaves together everything we consider to be crucial to a conscious lifestyle—movement, healing, spiritual growth, sustainability, holistic health, music, and art. Above all, Envision is dedicated to bringing together a global conscious community that awakens humanity’s potential. Not just another party in a beautiful place, this is an opportunity to deepen your connection to yourself, to others, and to the earth in a truly magical and mystical locale where lush rainforests and mountains meet the warm Pacific Ocean on the South coast of Costa Rica. This year, the Envision collective is offering a number of intensive educational retreats pre and post festival to take the experience even deeper and integrate it more fully into your life. There are six in total, with our three favorite offerings this year highlighted below. To see the full range of experiences, visit their retreats page here: Envision Educational Retreats Reboot Camp: A Reboot for Your Mind, Body and Spirit February 29th – March 6th, 2016 Cleanse. Yoga. Surfing. Improv. Relaxation. Rejuvenation.  Join the Envision crew for a 6-day retreat in paradise and hit the reset button on your mind body and spirit. A gentle 6-day cleanse with delicious food curated by Dr. Cory, therapeutic yoga with Jorja Rivero and Ashleigh Sergeant, and some of the best surfing (for all levels) in Costa Rica. Dancing and improvisational self-expression to unlock your creativity. Come play and return to your life rested, energized, fit, healthy and happy. Click Here to Learn More Jungle Herbal Field Clinic Pre-Festival Workshop February 15 – 29, 2016 This immersive workshop is for those who have experience in herbal medicine, looking for training as a street herbal medic, in herbal first aid, disaster relief and on-the-fly herbal formulation. This is an opportunity to expand clinical experience, while being in service to the Envision community.  Students spend the first half of the workshop at the Punta Mona Center, learning about Physiology and Pathophysiology, formulation, intakes, treatment strategies, case studies and other clinical skills. Continuing on to Envision, we will set up the Herbal Free Clinic and offer our healing services to festival goers and staff. Click Here to Learn More Envision Pre-Tour: A Magical Musical and Sustainable Journey through Costa Rica February 16 – 24, 2016 Join the Envision crew as they visit some of the most epic spots in Costa Rica before arriving at the final destination—the Envision Festival in the Southern Pacific Zone of Costa Rica. On this coast to coast trip you’ll visit incredible places and attractions while exploring the ecology and permaculture possibilities of the rainforest. As musicians and music enthusiasts your nights will be filled with live music and local culture and, of course, always the most exotic and unique foods. Click Here to Learn More Get Your Tickets to the Event on the Envision Festival Official Website

EVOLVING OUT LOUD

GLENDALE, CALIFORNIA April 2-3, 2016 Combining the art of stand-up comedy and transformation, Comedy Central headliner Kyle Cease uses his 25 years of performing, creating, and letting go of what other people think to help his audience move past their old stories and into a new vision of what is possible in their lives. Evolving Out Loud is a powerful event designed to help you release your old conditioned patterns of fear and strategy and tap into your natural flow state of creativity and unlimited possibilities. Click here to learn more

LIVE, LOVE, THRIVE PURA VIDA RETREAT

OSA PENINSULA, COSTA RICA February 13-20, 2016 Marrying happiness and renewal, this is a one-of-a-kind retreat that combines yoga and positive psychology to bring you into a whole new relationship with yourself and your life. Yoga teachers, Ann Averback and Emily Perry have teamed up with positive psychologists Scott Simon and Jennifer Margolis to create a profoundly nourishing and transformative eight-day experience that will revitalize your body, mind, and spirit. Retreat accommodations are at the beautiful, Blue Osa Resort, an eco-conscious, beach-front location serving fresh farm-to-table food. Click here to learn more

CONSCIOUS LIFE EXPO 2016

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA February 19-22, 2016 Conscious Life Expo is a four-day Conference and Exposition with four exhibit halls and over 200 speakers, workshops, lectures and special events, including a conscious film festival. The Expo brings together a community of speakers, filmmakers, authors, artists, and visionaries to explore evolutionary transformations in health, science, spirituality, and healthy lifestyles. This year’s speakers include Dr. Eben Alexander, Lisa Garr, David Wilcock, and Nassim Haramein. This immersive gathering of collective consciousness is accompanied by delicious healthy food, eclectic musicians, and conscious community. Click here to learn more