Deepening in Love, Couples Retreat

About the Retreat

This Advanced Couples Retreat is a glorious opportunity in a tropical paradise to Deepen in Love with your partner and enjoy: time and tools for deepening in heartfelt and authentic communication; enhancing mutual support and spiritual partnership; practices to invite the sacred third presence into you relationship; letting go of old stories and limiting identities; practices which cultivate ecstatic, deep sexual connection; having outrageous fun together!

Our group is limited to a maximum of 15 couples, offering greater intimacy and attention than our public workshops. We will be assisted by Indrus Piche, our beloved and long-time associate, who brings an extensive background in Tantra (sacred sexuality).

We see Deepening in Love as an advanced retreat, and admission is by application only. The program is oriented towards stable, highly committed couples, with excellent basic communication skills, experience in psycho-spiritual inner work (counseling, retreats, seminars, etc . . .), who are in a fundamentally good place with each other and are seeking enrichment. Many participants have previously attended our Sharing the Path workshops, though this is not a prerequisite.

All our work happens in a very safe, skilled and supportive environment. Those of you who have worked with us before know that you will be treated with the utmost respect and caring, while also being lovingly challenged to break through to new possibilities, individually and as a couple.

Most of the work is done directly with your partner, although you may occasionally do an exercise with another participant of your choice. We meet in men’s and women’s circles at least once. Your privacy is respected and there is no enforced sharing or process within the group as a whole.

Retreat Website

Schedule

Every day there are 2 or 3 sessions, with ample time off to allow for beach, rest, lovemaking, excursions, and simply relaxed time to enjoy the beautiful surroundings and each other. Our teaching and practices integrate the profoundly practical (how do two different human beings bridge their differences to skillfully partner and create a good and satisfying life) and the profoundly spiritual (to transcend together our limited, separate sense of self, experiencing an increasingly open and naturally joyous state of connection with love, each other and life). Our sessions include: – Advanced communication skills – Shared practices of meditation, breath, and touch – A relationship visioning process leading to the creation of new vows for the next cycle of your shared life – Sacred sexuality – Radical self-responsibility – Opening to your partner as teacher and the gifts & lessons they bring – Dance, music and play –  A re commitment ceremony on the beach at sunset where you exchange your new vows Some of the sessions go deep, but always balanced with nourishing and fun activities, along with equally important time off to relax and be with each other. Although we always invite you to dine or go off alone with your beloved, past participants have often much enjoyed connecting with other couples on a path of conscious relationship. There have also been lively and meaningful exchanges about work, politics and social change. We warmly welcome same sex couples.

About the Teachers

Judith Ansara & Robert Gass

Judith Ansara MSW and Robert Gass EdD are internationally known teachers synthesizing rich backgrounds in spirituality, psychology, social action and the arts.  For over 30 years, they have shared their work on relationships at such as Omega, Hollyhock and Esalen. One of the unique aspects of their teaching is its integration of contemplative and spiritual precepts and practice with very grounded and practical tools for effective relationship. Their teachings on Sacred Relationship bring a depth a compassion and insight forged in the living laboratory of their 40+ year marriage. Robert and Judith are multi-dimensional teachers, who also offer executive coaching and organizational transformation and leadership training to institutions ranging from Chase Bank and The GAP to the Sierra Club, NAACP and the U.S. Senate as well as to coaches, psychotherapists and other healing arts professionals. Judith, co founder of the Peacemaker Institute, is also a gifted movement artist, and weaves into her teaching a focus on embodied presence and feminine leadership. She also provides coaching via phone and personal retreats. Robert, a highly-regarded musician, has produced 15 CDs of sacred music with his vocal ensemble On Wings of Song, including the best-selling Om Namaha Shivaya, which paved the road for the revival sacred chant in the West.