For newly married couples, the ideas of opting for a spiritual tour may seem unusual when compared with the Instagram-ready honeymoon locations across the world.
That being said, spiritual tours and meditation retreats can aid in the creation of an abyssal connection between you and your partner that will sustain itself long after the honeymoon period is over.
Peru is a surprisingly romantic location when you consider the ancient Inca sites and the contemporary delights that it has to offer especially spiritual tours and retreats like the silent meditation retreat on the island Amantani.
Deepen Your Connection
In a study of 213 couples (spanning 5 years), it was found that nearly 40% of them sought outside intervention or help regarding their marriage.
Of course, these are not concerns which anyone has during their honeymoon. However, making a valuable investment in your future by taking the time to build a deep spiritual connection can go a long way.
In a regular honeymoon you may be engrossed in each other but undertaking a spiritual tour means you are affected by the boundless energy of the places you visit especially the sacred sites Peru has to offer such as Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca.
Spiritual tours are usually part of a larger program in which couples are given access to specialized activities like meditation sessions, various therapies and yoga. This could enhance your understanding as a couple as these may not be things you’ve done together.
Furthermore, the aura of a spiritual tour is very much about absorbing the positive energy from beautiful, scenic places. This will have the effect of positively impacting your intimacy and creating a more mindful experience.
If your partner has gone through a traumatic experience in his or her life, spiritual tours can be intensely healing. You also get to be a part of the process as they let go of painful experiences and look forward to a new beginning with you.
Regardless of how great a relationship is, there is always room for improvement and for the development of certain mutual skills.
Skills such as better communication, dealing with complicated emotions, processing previous heartache can be instrumental in creating a solid base which will sustain the relationship over life’s ups and downs.
Most spiritual tours have packages for additional classes related to this, in which experts can listen to your concerns, gauge your personalities, and provide priceless advice.
Peru Has No Dearth Of Romantic Locations
Depending on what sparks your interest, you can choose a tour which will take you to various historic sites sometimes with local tour guides that can explain their indigenous cultures in more detail.
While Peru is filled with incredible restaurants and post-colonial Spanish architecture, the best use of your time is to visit the Inca relics which are in abundance. They are the true representation of a time before us with mystic energies which we can only begin to understand.
The Sacred Valley of the Inca civilization is an unforgettable trip on its own and it falls between the city of Cusco and the tourism giant Machu Picchu.
You can visit sites such as Ollantaytambo which was a fortress-like structure for the Incas and Moray which boasts of vast circular terraces with a nameless purpose.
Many of the sacred sites Peru offers, have limits on the number of people that can visit in a day so you and your partner will have considerable privacy to roam around.
As newlyweds, you would not want to miss the wonders of Lake Titicaca which is a vivacious blue body of water adjacent to several incredibly beautiful islands such as Islas Uros (also known as the floating islands).
If you and your partner enjoy wildlife and untouched nature reserves, a cruise through the Amazon rainforest will not steer you wrong.
Most guided tours make several stop-overs and provide couples with an opportunity to walk through the jungle. Many of these tours also let you meet Amazonian shamans who are historically practitioners of healing techniques, alternative medicine, and spirituality.
An ideal honeymoon location is Paracas which is a coastal town with stunning beaches, sunsets, and state of the art hotels which have Jacuzzis and Saunas for couples to enjoy. Boat rides also take you back and forth to different nearby islands such as Islas Ballestas and you can see dolphins, sea lions and maybe even penguins along the way.
Moreover, you cannot forget Machu Picchu in your itinerary which is a World Heritage Site discovered roughly a 100 years ago and has been the apple of the eye of the Peruvians ever since.
For your honeymoon, you can travel in style taking the Hiram Bingham Luxury train (named after the explorer who discovered the site) and rest up for the long hike all the way up to Machu Picchu.
This city in the mountains was made for the Inca aristocracy and used for rituals and ceremonial practices where the common people were usually not included.
Many parts of the ruins especially the hidden moon temple has been known to radiate a strong, purifying energy to people in close proximity.
Lastly, Cusco City has many couples-friendly activities such as chocolate workshops, trips to the planetarium, river rafting, long walks amidst stunning architecture and good restaurants.
Many city tours will introduce you to a shaman that can perform a special marriage ceremony for new couples (as a symbolic gesture) to ensure your bond lasts eternally.
The ceremony consists of the preparation of certain sacred dishes namely with the ingredients of flowers, seeds, pieces of llama fat, certain sacred metals, and other symbolic items.
Silent Meditation For Couples
While a silent meditation retreat has countless advantages even for people who are taking part alone, it has unique ramifications for couples engaging in one together.
Practicing silence for a few days on the retreat means you will need to be attuned to your partner’s needs on a more primal and instinctual level.
You’ll need to learn the intricacies of their body language and what they are thinking when they cannot say things out loud. While you may be well aware of their personal tell-tale signs, this sort of training from specialists can still come in useful when you start your life together.
In normal everyday life, work and social obligations can stress you out and impact your relationships as there simply aren’t enough hours in the day to give proper attention to your loved one.
On a silent retreat, however, all those interferences are removed and you can pay attention to, and anticipate your partner’s needs. You may even learn something new together like the techniques of Yoga which many silent meditation retreats provide comprehensive sessions of.
Scientific studies have shown that sympathetic response is increased with continual silence so you can develop more empathy for the struggles your partner may have faced in life.
This undertaking of a mutual experience can enhance your existing respect for each other layered with a greater understanding of the events that shaped the other person’s personality. All in all, you will end up loving them even more.
A silent meditation retreat in Peru offers spiritual tours of the main sacred sites of the Incas as well as an adjoining program for a 3 day meditation retreat in the panoramic setting of the two mountains of island Amantani. They have special couple’s packages and you can join along with or without the preliminary tour.