Olympic legend Greg Louganis’ journey of self-discovery took him to some very dark places — all by choice.
Louganis, 65, who announced in 2025 that he sold some of his Olympic medals in order to move out of the United States, recently completed a stay at a meditation center offering “dark retreats.”
“You’re in total darkness,” Louganis said in a video posted via Instagram on Tuesday, January 13. “I was planning on going six days. I ended up doing five days. I came out a day early.”
The former Olympic diver said, “It really was incredible.”
Louganis took part in the retreat after returning stateside for a brief stint last November.
“It was a beautiful area just a couple hours outside of Seattle,” Louganis explained. “It really was something I’d like to continue with.”
According to the center’s website, dark retreats are “an ancient form of spiritual practice in which one meditates in an entirely light free room for extended periods of time. Retreats of this nature usually last between 6 hours and 49 days.”
The retreats are run “in a tiny home on wheels, which we black out using removable light blocking panels. It features a shower, flushing toilet, sink, and twin bed.”
Louganis said he preferred the dark retreat to other experiences like ayahuasca or ketamine because of the severe isolation.
“It’s just you,” he noted. “And that’s what I loved about the retreat. It was very, very impactful. It really got me to uncover a lot of things for me.”
Moving forward, Louganis said he wants to do a dark retreat “at least once a year.”
Louganis revealed he sold his California home and three of his medals in order to move out of the county in September 2025. The diver won five medals — four gold, one silver — during his celebrated Olympic career.
“I needed the money,” Louganis wrote via Facebook, who announced he was living in Panama.
Louganis added, “If I had proper management, I might not have been in that position, but what is done is done; live and learn.”
The move was partially inspired by last year’s southern California wildfires, during which some of Louganis’ friends lost everything.
“I know I am choosing to do this, but their resilience is an inspiration for me to start anew, with an open heart and an open door,” Louganis explained. “Opening up to possibilities. I realized I often close myself off, shut myself down, and play small for the comfort of others.”
During a visit to see his family in Hawaii over the holidays, Louganis said he was even more clear that moving to Panama was the right move.
“It’s been a good visit here,” he said in a video posted via Instagram on December 29. “Also kind of reaffirming that it was a good time to make those changes. So many of my friends are dispersing to different parts of the world, which is really cool.”
Louganis clarified that he hadn’t become an official Panamanian — but he left the door open about the future.
“I’m not getting a hold of attorneys and changing my citizenship or anything like that,” he added. “But that’s a possibility.”
