The Energy of Love: A Couple's Retreat at Mi iamo

By Beth Shea

If you're wondering where  the  magic  in  your relationship went, I'm about to tell you how to get it back. When my husband and I first heard about the couple's retreat at Mii amo, a destination spa in Sedona, Arizona, we were hopeful but tentative. Could a week away really fix the problems that entangled us daily? Did we really want to trust strangers with our relationship hurdles? Would they know how to help us with our specific needs? 

Enter Stewart Esposito and Maggie Hunts, a betrothed duo whose love is genuinely palpable in every glance they exchange. Their ‘Energy of Love' couples retreat transformed my husband and me from the brooding roommates we had become back into the romantic soul mates and best friends we were when we fell in love. They hit the reset button on our marriage by enabling us to rediscover each other in a neutral environment and by teaching us how to tend to our love.

Each day we listened to engaging lectures and participated in exercises where we applied what we'd learned to ensure that our new methods would work at home as well. Esposito and Hunts taught us how to speak compassionately and listen generously to each other. We tackled subjects that were always sticky for us and learned how to better converse our way through problems. We also learned how to give each other massages, with the intent of harmonizing our physical and emotional energy. Most importantly for us, we learned how to argue in a non-destructive manner. It seems obvious to say you should respect your partner's views and empathize with their opinions, but this retreat really gets to the heart of why couples need to improve their communication, as it impacts every aspect of a relationship. The exercise that brought tears to both of our eyes and served as our “a-ha” moment was when we were instructed to look into each other's eyes and state what we appreciated about the other. “I appreciate…” led to all of our walls coming down and our hearts opening.

In addition to coaching you along, Esposito and Hunts are compassionate cheerleaders with sincere interests in your journey, offering encouragement and hope as you share your relationship needs and desires. Both are experts in the art of communication. Esposito has spent over thirty years studying relationships and acting as a consultant and teacher for Fortune 500 companies as well as individuals and couples. Hunts's background is in marketing and development for large corporations.

Our last evening at Mii amo, my husband and I went on Mii amo's guided ‘Vortex Walk.' Our guide asked us to send a silent intention into the universe to see if the inherent energy in Sedona would answer. I asked for a sign of love. As we rounded a corner, I pointed out a star in the sky that took my breath away. Our tour guide smiled, “that's not a star, that's Venus.”

For more information call (888) 740-2137 or visit www.miiamo.com

January/February 2006