A Love Story… the Ever-Evolving Emotional Fitness Retreat

by Andrea Becky Hanson

During an extremely deep and meaningful time of transformation and self-realization in my own life over 17 years ago, the concept of an extraordinary opportunity came into being. I desired to create a truly transformational and complete experience for others that would result in deep energetic healing, the discovery and empowerment of the true self, and the joy of successfully creating and living the life of meaning and purpose that I was experiencing.

I knew a retreat format was the best way to do that. I knew it needed to be multidimensional and multi-cultural in its nature, and include cutting-edge scientific discoveries and knowledge about the human energy field, the brain, the mind, and human behavior. I had been given so many gifts of intuition and access to the unknown. I had the great fortune of studying, practicing, and teaching holistic healing, and many opportunities to travel and experience healing methods of other cultures. And I was deeply aware that my life was to be about sharing my gifts, my experiences, and this knowledge.

I was hiking in southwest Utah’s Snow Canyon State Park, which is magical and transformational in and of itself. It is where Red Mountain Resort is situated, and where I would stay often for renewal. Inspired and elevated as I always am there, the location and name of the retreat came to me. I knew I wanted most of the retreat to be in nature, and what better place than this? Pondering the most effective indicator of how my life was going, undeniably it was my emotional state. Emotional fitness – what better name?!

Because of my background in psychology, spiritual sciences, communication sciences, and comprehensive holistic healing along with my intuitive gifts, I knew that retreat had to be experiential to be most effective. The experiential nature of emotional energy is a bridge from the known to the unknown – a messenger, the doorway to the source of joy and/or sorrow… the path to transformation. Hence, the birth of the ever-evolving Emotional Fitness Retreat at Red Mountain Resort.

In 2002, I began this work in two-hour evening sessions for five days, along with private consultations. This evolved into the current form of a five-day, four-night immersion retreat, which has proven to be the ideal amount of time. I knew it needed to be a small retreat to assure personal and group success.

At the same time, I was driven to reach as many people as I could so I authored my second book, Light through the Keyhole – The Power to Heal Life and Live Joy, a comprehensive guide to ancient holistic healing wisdom and incredible new scientific discoveries. I gift my book to all retreat participants as a reference and a companion for the path to conscious awareness and the ability to heal.

There is no pre-requisite for the retreat except an open, inquisitive mind and the passion to know your true self and confidently live your best joyful, purposeful life. I plan the retreat itinerary with a deep understanding of and commitment to the sustainable transformational process. We begin with intention and desire to identify the blocks, misunderstandings, and painful emotions that are keeping us from our best lives. We do one-on-one consultation to address and heal specific personal issues.

Most of our sessions are outside, using nature as a mirror. We hike in Snow Canyon and the red rock desert of the area. We practice Kundalini yoga – the yoga of transformation. We experience powerful meditations and learning sessions about the little-known methods and modalities of holistic energy healing, especially energy psychology.

Because we are multidimensional beings, we venture into other dimensions. As a group, we create a healing resonance that is undeniably powerful and supportive. We use multi-cultural practices of fire ceremony, spiral walk, and dancing to enhance our progress, our understandings, and our breakthroughs. We laugh, we cry, and we celebrate!

The equally comprehensive and complete offerings of Red Mountain Resort, as a leader in wellness destination resorts, support the experiential depth and breadth of the extraordinary Emotional Fitness Retreat experience. The nurturing environment, nutritious food, and endless possibilities for activities, spa treatments, community, solitude in nature, and the healing power of the beautiful red rock high desert could not be a better fit. It is a magical combination.

Also, I have a great deal of hope for the success of humanity and I must confess that one of the reasons I continue this work is selfish – for when one of us heals, we all heal and elevate our consciousness. It is truly something to rejoice! And we do!

Join us for the Emotional Fitness Retreat May 6-10 & November 4-8 and the Emotional Fitness Alumni Retreat October 28 - November 1.

We advise registering at your earliest possible opportunity. Space is limited to ensure personal attention and a great group dynamic.

Learn more about the Emotional Fitness Retreat and reserve your stay.

About Andrea Becky Hanson

Drawing from intuitive abilities and decades of experience in both ancient and cutting-edge healing modalities, Andrea has studied, trained, and taught in over 25 countries around the world. She served as program director at The Chopra Center for nine years. Her expertise includes certifications in holistic energy healing, Kundalini yoga, energy psychology, meditation, and Ayurveda.