Men’s Retreat California with Breathwork in Mendocino — A Grounded Immersion North of San Francisco
Who It’s For, Why Now, and What to Expect
If you’ve been searching for a truly devotional men’s retreat California 2025 experience that meets you where you are — successful, seasoned, and still hungry for depth — this immersion is designed as your next decisive step. The Not Done Yet retreat with coach and men’s guide Travis Streb is the first in-person intensive for the 2025/26 cohort, held January 15–19, 2026 — a four-night arc in Mendocino, Northern California, at Spirit Camp’s redwood ridge. Learn more about this transformative retreat and browse the full Spirit Camp calendar here.
In this opening chapter of the yearlong container, you’ll join a curated brotherhood — fathers, partners, creators, and leaders — ready to recalibrate purpose, strengthen integrity, and embody a legacy that is lived, not theorized. Across these four nights you’ll be held in a clear program rhythm: movement to awaken the body, breathwork to widen emotional and energetic range, archetypal inquiry to illuminate your deeper orientation, and honest conversation to integrate the real-time lessons. Integration time is built in daily so the insights don’t dissipate; they land in bone and breath. While this immersion sits inside a 10-month journey, strong applicants may be considered for the retreat alone if space allows — an on-ramp for men discerning whether to continue with the full container. For context, this retreat is a pillar of a broader men’s-work curriculum; it is not a single-modality event.
Breathwork as a Core Practice
Within this container, breathwork is one essential pillar among several embodied practices. Sessions emphasize accessible patterns that modulate the nervous system, expand felt capacity, and stabilize attention — practices you can carry into work, relationships, and creative leadership. Contemporary research suggests that slow, structured breathing can increase heart-rate variability, balance autonomic tone, and support improvements in mood and stress regulation, aligning well with the retreat’s aims of steadiness and presence.
What does a breathwork session feel like here? Imagine a sun-warmed hall with redwood beams, a small circle of men, and a coach’s clear timing. You’ll be guided through incremental sequences — gentle at first, deeper as appropriate — always within a relational container that privileges safety, consent, and real-world transfer. You’re not chasing peak states; you’re building a reliable inner instrument.
To be clear, breathwork is one of several practices you’ll meet in this men’s immersion — alongside meditation, Kundalini-inspired movement, Chi Gong, shadow work processes, and somatic relational drills. It syncs with the larger curriculum rather than eclipsing it. For a review of breath-focused techniques and their psychophysiological effects, see this summary here.
Photo of Deer Haven, one of the our many unique cabin spaces. This cabin has three beds. Cabins have between 1 to 8 beds each and provide several different sleeping arrangements for men’s retreat California 2025. All cabin spaces are included in men’s breathwork retreat.
Photo of Group Glamping Tents Setup in Sunset Meadow. We have 10 Glamping Structures that can be added with 1to 3 beds each. This can increase bed capacity of campus to 50 guests across 20 unique accommodation spaces.
Meet Your Guide, Travis Streb
Travis Streb has spent more than a decade coaching and facilitating men’s work across North America, known for creating grounded, devotional containers where men can tell the truth, shed old armor, and re-organize around what matters. He co-leads Embodied Men’s Leadership Training with John Wineland, and his approach blends yogic, somatic, relational, and archetypal frames into straightforward practice. Expect intimacy of scale (≤ 18 men) and a mentor who brings humor, candor, and fierce kindness in equal measure.
This work is not about chasing perfection. It’s about aligning your body and attention with your deepest commitments, and then practicing those commitments until they become embodied. Travis’ leadership invites exactly that: clear practice, real accountability, and a brotherhood that both supports and challenges.
Life at Spirit Camp: Redwood Quiet, Shared Tables, and Real Talk
Retreat days unfold in spaces that nourish focus and connection. Mornings may begin with simple movement and breath in the Sanctuary’s sunlit hush; afternoons might stretch out in the Redwood Lodge with tea, journaling, or circle work beside the hearth. Communal, plant-forward meals are served family-style, grounding the body for practice rather than spiking it. January is an indoor-lodging season: choose from private cabins, shared rooms, or the classic bunkhouse — each clean, cozy, and energetically reset before your arrival.
The vibe here is honest and spacious: plenty of laughter, depth without drama, and the kind of real talk that opens a man’s life. Pack layers for winter on the coast — soft sweaters, a rain shell, sturdy shoes — so you can wander the trails between sessions without a second thought. To get a feel for the land and facilities of this redwood retreat center, imagine vintage camp charm refined by modern design: wood-burning stoves, skylit halls, meadows that glow at golden hour, and a Sanctuary that gleams softly at night.
Where You’ll Be: In Mendocino, Northern California — North of the Bay Area
Spirit Camp is in Mendocino, Northern California, set on a coastal-forest ridge with ocean air and redwood stillness. The campus sits roughly 10–12 minutes from the town of Mendocino for snacks, coffee, and supplies. From major airports, your drive trends north of San Francisco — typically ~3 hours from SFO or OAK, and ~2 hours from Sonoma County’s STS. Many participants arrive a touch early to decompress, then linger after the immersion for a quiet morning walk along the headlands. Explore current offerings or plan your dates on the retreat calendar here.
Frequently Asked Questions
What’s included over the four nights?
Your fee for this immersion includes the program itself—men’s work sessions, embodied practice, breathwork, and integration circles—along with plant-forward meals and on-property access to shared spaces like the Sanctuary and Redwood Lodge. Lodging is tiered (private cabin, shared room, bunkhouse) and priced accordingly; January retreats are indoor-lodging only. Specific pricing and options are shown on the facilitator’s booking page.Can I attend the retreat without committing to the 10-month program?
Yes—if space allows and you’re a strong fit. The immersion is the entry point to the 2025/26 cohort, and priority goes to men joining the full container. A limited number of retreat-only spots may be offered for applicants ready to dive deep now and then decide about continuing.What should I pack for winter conditions in Mendocino?
Think layers: a warm jacket, mid-layer fleece or sweater, base layers, rain shell, and sturdy shoes for damp trails. Bring a water bottle, journal, and a yoga mat if you have one. Evenings are cool and cozy, and coastal showers can roll through; you’ll be comfortable if you’re prepared.
Nearby Activities to Bookend Your Retreat
Mendocino Headlands State Park
Minutes from town, the Headlands wrap the historic village on three sides with bluff-top paths and sweeping ocean views. Gentle trails trace the cliffs, revealing sea arches and hidden grottos, with winter swells throwing white lace against black rock. It’s ideal for a pre- or post-retreat decompression walk, letting your nervous system widen out to horizon scale while you anchor the insights you’re taking home. The official park page notes miles of trails and the park’s unique position around Mendocino; keep an eye out for the Ford House Visitor Center and whale-watching viewpoints in season.
Russian Gulch State Park
A short coastal drive brings you to fern canyons and the iconic bridge vista over a protected cove. Inland, a 36-foot waterfall rewards those who like their walks shaded and green, while the headlands reveal the celebrated Devil’s Punchbowl sinkhole and broad Pacific panoramas. With about 15 miles of trails across beach, forest, and bluffs, it’s a perfect half-day loop to integrate your work before heading home. Start at the day-use area, check conditions, and take the headlands trail for the punchbowl views.
Top Transformational Retreat Experiences in Northern California
If your query started with a “retreat near me” search, you might have found generic options. Spirit Camp’s men’s immersion stands apart because it’s built for seasoned men—often over 30—who are ready to claim a new chapter with integrity. That’s why phrases like California retreat for men over 30, somatic men’s retreat California, and men’s work immersion California fit here: they reflect the lived intention of the program and the caliber of its participants.
A Note on Focus and Framing
This experience is not a “sound healing retreat,” a “psychedelics retreat,” or any narrow label that would miscast the whole. You may encounter a single session that feels novel, but the throughline is men’s work: embodied practice, breath, meditation, and relational truth-telling inside a curated brotherhood. That clarity protects expectations and honors the teachers’ scope.
Practical Travel Snapshot
Plan approximately three hours north of San Francisco by car, or about two hours from Sonoma County. January weather can be moody and beautiful—fog that lifts by midday, pattering rain on the Sanctuary’s copper roof, crisp evening air for fireside conversations. Indoor spaces are warmly lit, and meadows still offer quiet pockets under winter skies.
Your Invitation
If you’re a man at a crossroads — approaching 40, 50, or beyond — and can feel the next version of your life thumping in your chest, this is your doorway. Step into the work. Learn more and apply for Not Done Yet, or explore similar retreats on the Spirit Camp calendar here.
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