Each week at the Ranch offers a unique experience.
Our Specialty Weeks are week-long health and fitness programs held in addition to regular classes. Visiting instructors (the finest in their fields) are dedicated to enriching your mind/body/spirit experience.
Each week brings someone new and exciting to our SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS, a tradition dating well back to the early days of the Ranch—a time best-known for the lectures of the late Professor Edmond Szekely, and the frequent visits of author / philosopher Aldous Huxley. Presentations include evening events, guest lecturers, arts and crafts classes, workshops, concerts and more. Some of the individuals who have graced our podium and/or led workshops include Béla Fleck, Abigail Washburn , John Elderfield, Daniel Matt, John Olson, Sarah Brokaw, Danny Seo, Joel ben Izzy, Ruth Anne Kocour, Gail Sheehy, Graham Spanier, Amory Lovins, Erica Jong, Naomi Wolf, Madeleine Albright, Jane Fonda, Pepper Schwartz, Beverly Whipple, Mona Golabek, Linda Wertheimer, Sandra Day O’Connor, Ken Dychtwald, Robert Butler, Bill Moyers, Larry Grobel, Dan Wakefield, Marion Nestle, Marion Burros, Max Frankl, Swami Veda Bharati, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., and Clodagh.
Click on the dates below to see detailed information regarding each week's theme and special presenters. Please note that the information and schedules are subject to change (although this is rare) without notice. Although many of our guest presenters spend an entire week with us, those with busy schedules may come only briefly. In order not to miss a presentation that is important to you, check the weekly events calendar as soon as you arrive. In addition to our guest presenters, Ranch co-founder Deborah Szekely gives an inspiring evening talk each week (schedule permitting) followed by a question and answer period. These warm and informal talks take place almost every week, and are a mix of philosophy, history, and inspiring observations on how to live the “longer healthier life.”

- The Bar Method | Allison McCurdy
- CorePower Yoga | Yvonne Bartels and Racquel Tristan
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Amy Pennington
- Exercise and Play: A Way to Keep Your Brain Young | John Ratey, M.D.
- Locating the Writer in Everyone | David Milofsky
- Concert | Martha Aarons, flute, Lev Polyakin, violin, Miles Graber, piano
- Reading Frida Kahlo: How Does Her Art Speak? | Renee Sandell, Ph.D.

- HYDRO-FIT Water Week | Craig Stuart
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher David Cohen
- We Need to Talk | Diane Katz, Ph.D.
- Photography Programs – Bring your Camera | Gary Harmatz
- Organic Gardening | Karen Contreras
- Personal Enrichment Through Philanthropy | Julie Shafer and Christine E. Sherry

- The Bar Method | Laura Stein
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Kathleen Flinn
- Pilates Week | Rebekah Rotstein
- Tackling Peace | Tanya Oziel
- Practices in Mindfulness | Francis J. Santora, MA

- NIA Week | Debbie Rosas
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Nani Steele
- Essential Tai Ji: The Five Elements of Moving Forces of Nature | Chunglian Al Huang
- The Seat of Our Words - How Communication Shapes our Lives | Barbara Healy
- Find and Share Your Voice | Roy Rogosin
- Self Expression through Digital Photography — Bring Your Camera | Lynne Harty
- Sexuality and Health – and Live Longer and Better! | Pepper Schwartz, Ph.D.

- Inspiration: Yoga and Writing | Phyllis Pilgrim and Irene Borger
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Virginia Willis
- Focus on Youthing: A Hypnotic Approach to Anti-Aging™ | Bee Epstein-Shepherd, Ph.D.
- The Hidden Dimension of Human Communication | Peter A. Glaser & Susan R. Glaser
- Bullying in our Relationships: Parenting, Marriage and More | Carol Smaldino
- Amazing Oceans of Life | Mark Hixon

- Prime of Life Yoga | Marydale
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Lia Huber
- Ballet Week | Roni Mahler
- Prevention Strategies: Wisdom and Folly | Victoria Maizes, M.D.
- Kung Fu for Fitness | John Scott Marrone
- Songs Sinatra Sang | Lan O'Kun
- Is There a Book in You? | Dianne Jacob

- The Bar Method | Jessica Bowman
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Raghavan Iyer
- Joy of Anusara Yoga | Jennifer Fox and Paul Gould
- Writers' Week | Madeleine Blais, Les Standiford and Ellen Sussman
- Details to come… | Carolyn Stern

- Mindful Yoga | Ann-Marie Ahye
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Joey Altman
- Body Bar Plus | Sherry Catlin
- The Women Artists of Oaxaca | Lois Wasserspring
- Too Much Togetherness in Retirement? | Miriam Goodman

- HYDRO-FIT Water Week | Craig Stuart
- WaterDance and Fluid Presence | Shantam
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Kim O'Donnel
- Self-Discovery Through Journal Writing | Rita D. Jacobs, Ph.D.
- Meditation and the Art of Happiness | Elliott S. Dacher, M.D.

- HYDRO-FIT Water Week | Craig Stuart
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Joanna Pruess
- Writers' Week
- – The Power of Place | Dan Wakefield
- – All About Editing | Anne Simpkinson
- – What Makes the Bad Guy Bad | April Smith
- What's New with Happiness? | Arlene Matthews

- Family Week
- Strike-A-Chord Family Concert! | Karl Anthony
- Photography Workshop -- Bring Your Camera| Tom Birmingham
- Bio Construction | Sergio Bonilla, MD and Ana María Ceballos, MD
- Martial Arts | Jim Buhisan
- Life Coaching and Happy Healthy Parents and Teens | Emily Boorstein
- Art Workshops | Erin Lee Gafill
- Storytelling | Kathi Lightstone Matanovic
- Brazilian Drum Workshop | Roberto Perretta
- Handwriting Analysis | Lena Rivkin
- Hands-on Cooking Classes | Executive Chef Denise Roa
- Imaginative Painting and Drawing | David Zaboski
- Spanish Live | Patricia Zanzonico
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Palma Bellinghieri

- Pilates Week | Shelley Estes
- Common Sports Injuries and the Easy Home Remedies to Fix Them | Jordan Metzl, M.D.
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Barbara Fenzl
- Answering Your Soul's Call... What Are You Meant to Do? | Ritu Sharma
- 13 Ways of Looking at the Goldberg | Lara Downes

- Tennis Week | Marcos Landavazo and Kim Evans
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Nancy Zaslavsky
- Concert | Brice Martin and Natalie Dalschaert
- Coyotes in Our Midst | Camilla Fox
- Mindful Sleep, Mindful Dreams | Rubin Naiman, Ph.D.

- Pilates Week | Cathleen Murakami
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Kristine Kidd
- Love Cycles | Linda Carroll, M.S.
- Meditation and the Art of Happiness | Elliott S. Dacher, M.D.
- The Tree of Life: a Symbol for Our Time | Rev. Canon Peg Chemberlin
- Love Cycles | Linda Carroll, M.S.
- Sewing with Marina | Marina Dulman
- What Makes a Great Memoir? | Susan Crandell and Sarah Mahoney

- Aerobics with Soul | Maria Nhambu
- Love Cycles | Linda Carroll, M.S.
- The New Left in Latin America: How New? How Left? | Richard Feinberg
- Sensuality and Sexuality | Beverly Whipple, Ph.D.

- Five Days to a Fit Back | Traci Schafer-Bacon, P.T.
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Tori Ritchie
- Dream On: Exploring Your Dream World | Veronica Tonay, Ph.D.
- Sensuality and Sexuality | Beverly Whipple, Ph.D.
- From Doctors to Doulas: The Art and Heart of Women Healers | Elayne Clift
- Getting to your Center via the Paths of the Labyrinth | Cordelia Rose

- The Bar Method | Amy Duffey
- HYDRO-FIT Water Week | Craig Stuart
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Sara Copeland
- Writing What You Don't Know | Irene Borger
- Ranch Book Discussion Club | Irene Borger
- Divine Digestion: Three-Day Workshop | Kathie Swift, MA, RD and Jennifer Young, MA RYT

- Yoga | Geo Moskios
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Chris Prosperi
- An Evening with Capote, Ginsberg, Mailer, Huston, Winters... | Lawrence Grobel
- Quest for Inspiration | Leslie McGuirk
- Concert | Martha Aarons, flute, Lev Polyakin, violin, Frances Renzi, piano

- Culinary Week
- Egoscue Method | Rick Mathes
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Marie Simmons
- Concert | Martha Aarons, flute, Lev Polyakin, violin, Frances Renzi, piano
- Food Markets of the World | Paulette Mitchell
- The Great Mexican Muralists | Diane Arkin

- The Bar Method | Marnie Alton
- Meditation and Healing Yoga | Michele Hebert
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Robin Asbell
- Performances | Frederic Chiu
- Seeing the Possibilities -- Bring Your Camera | Pat Harrison
- Handwriting Analysis | Lena Rivkin
- Embracing the Wild | Terry Laszlo-Gopadze and Mary Reynolds Thompson
- The Secret to True Vitality: It’s Easier Than You Think | Michael Stusser & Maria Freebairn-Smith

- Couples Week
- Pilates Week | Madeline Black
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Amelia Saltsman
- Hypnosis for Maximum Health and Well-Being | Bee Epstein-Shepherd, Ph.D.
- Thrive: The Mind/Body Connection | Gyll Turteltaub, Psy. D.
- The Healing Power of Sound | Lester Garfinkel, M.D., F.A.C.P.

- Couples Week
- Secrets of Extraordinary Relationships | Linda Bloom, LCSW and Charles Bloom, MSW
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Cheryl Sternman
- Yoga and The Spirit of Poetry and Writing | Phyllis Pilgrim and Susan Duhan Felix
- Conquering Procrastination While Enjoying Guilt-Free Play | Neil Fiore, Ph.D.
- Learn to Tango | Elena and Victor Pankey

- Pilates Week | Jennifer Kries
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Diane Morgan
- Sex Ed for Grownups | Debra Haffner, MPH, M.Div.

- Zumba Fitness® | Jennifer Laursen
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Ris Lacoste
- What is Inside Shines Out: Poetry | Myra Klahr
- Lenny and Larry… The Poker Guys

- Mountain Trek at the Ranch | Intensive hiking and weight-loss program
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Deborah Schneider
- Gentle Yoga | Veera Sanjana, M.S., M.S.W.
- What is Inside Shines Out: Poetry | Myra Klahr
- Love Cycles | Linda Carroll, M.S.
- Connecting People to Places | Susan J. Smith

- Mountain Trek at the Ranch | Intensive hiking and weight-loss program
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Courtney Pardue Arpano
- The Bar Method | Noreen Dante
- Tai Chi and Qigong | Cari Shurman
- Breaking the Communication Barrier | Abe Wagner

- Shape Your Body | Keli Roberts
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Marie Simmons
- The Power of Purpose: A Year of Living Purposefully | Richard Leider

- Postural Balance for Life | Tom McCook
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Patricia Wells
- Russian Blue in Concert
- Photography for any Camera, Even an iPhone | Susan and Neil Silverman

- NIA® | Kevin VerEecke
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher John Ash
- Women with a Past | Laura Dean

- The Bar Method | Allison McCurdy
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher David Cohen
- Pilates Based Sculpting Techniques | Norma Shechtman

- Ta'i Chi and Qigong Week | Kevin M. Sullivan
- Inspiration: Yoga and Writing | Phyllis Pilgrim and Irene Borger
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Leslie Cerier

- An Introduction to Breath-Centered Yoga | Leslie Kaminoff
- Culinary Experiences at La Cocina Que Canta | Visiting Teacher Laura Pauli
- Concert | Marshall Chapman

- Spirit Week: Yoga and Everyday Mindfulness | Phyllis Pilgrim and Elana Rosenbaum
- Quest for Inspiration | Leslie McGuirk

- Feldenkrais Week - Healthy Joints for Daily Use | Louise Chegwidden
- Performance | Anya Matanovic, Soprano & Yelena Kurdina, Piano
- Indigo Dyeing a Shibori Scarf | Susan Kusama

- The Wide World of Walking | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D.
- How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who is Sick | Letty Cottin Pogrebin
- Performance | Anya Matanovic, Soprano & Yelena Kurdina, Piano

- Prime of Life Yoga | Larry Payne
- Meditation and the Art of Happiness | Elliott S. Dacher, M.D.

- Gentle Yoga | Veera Sanjana, M.S., M.S.W.
- An Inner Musical Journey of Beauty and Emotion | Suzanne Ciani
- Learning to Draw: A Self-Portrait Project | Sigrid Burton

- Powerful Posture: Regaining Your Place In Gravity | Nathan Briner
- Art of Acting | Cecil O'Neal
- TV Comedy: Creating Hit Sitcoms | Shelley Aronson
- How to Write the Story of Your Life | Erica Jong
- Understanding Your Moods: From Happy to Depression | Harold S. Koplewicz, M.D.
- Drawing on the Right Side of Your Brain | Linda Sirow

- Pilates Week | Conni Ramsey
- Walking the War Zones of Pakistan, One Woman's Journey... | Ruth Anne Kocour

- Pilates | P.J. O'Clair
- Sex Ed for Grownups | Debra Haffner, MPH, M.Div.
- Concert | Ensemble Mira
- Life Changing Travel | Marybeth Bond

- Swim Week | Dr. Jane Katz
- Nia ® Shamantra and Drumming | Saffire Bouchelion
- Concert | Jason Vieaux and Julien Labro

- Feldenkrais® Week | Ilana Nachoum
- Concert | Daryl Stuermer, virtuoso lead guitarist of the super-group Genesis and Phil Collins

- Gyrokinesis | Cathleen Murakami
- Jazz Piano Concerts | Bill Harris
- Make Your Portraits Come Alive -- Bring Your Camera | Connie Reider
- Celebrating Stories: Transforming our Lives | Terry Laszlo-Gopadze

- Pilates Week | Odile Zelenak
- Concert | Deborah Winters
- Photography for any Camera, Even an iPhone | Susan and Neil Silverman

- Body Bar Plus | Sherry Catlin
- Packing Light and Easy | Bunny Stoddard
- Concert | Steven Schick

- Posture Therapy | Ken Baldwin
- Change Your Mind, Change Your Body: Emotional Wellness & Weight Loss® | Jody Miller

- Pilates Week | Liz Beth
- Meditation and the Art of Happiness | Elliott S. Dacher, M.D.
- Concert | Marshall Chapman

- Iyengar Yoga | Aman Keays
- What is Inside Shines Out: Poetry | Myra Klahr
- Keeping Your Skin Fit | Fred Hirsh, M.D.

- HYDRO-FIT Water Week | Craig Stuart
- Performance | Anya Matanovic, Soprano & Yelena Kurdina, Piano

- Pilates Week | Shelley Estes
- Performance | Anya Matanovic, Soprano & Yelena Kurdina, Piano

- Five Days to a Fit Back | Traci Schafer-Bacon, P.T.
- The Wide World of Walking | Lynn Weigand, Ph.D.
- Gracious Hospitality and Mindful Presence -–Experience Matcha Green Tea | Alice Burke

- Iyengar Yoga | Jill Ganassi
- The Matters That Matter™ | Molly Davis and Kristine Van Raden
- Take Control of your Financial Life NOW | Jill Schlesinger

- Gentle Yoga | Veera Sanjana, M.S., M.S.W.
- Wild Women of Song | Pamela Rose, vocalist, Kristen Strom, saxophonist & Scott Sorkin, guitarist
- Photography for any Camera, Even an iPhone | Susan and Neil Silverman

- Stacy Hamby-Fisher MELT Method | Stacy Hamby-Fisher
- Celebrating Stories: Transforming our Lives | Terry Laszlo-Gopadze
- Maintaining a Healthy Relationship with Our Bodies and Spirits | Mechel Henry, M.D.

- Primal Play | Nancy Parker
- What is Inside Shines Out: Poetry | Myra Klahr
- Concert | Marshall Chapman

