Retreat Back to You
The word retreat is an interesting one with conflicting connotations.
It can conjure up images of soldiers on a battlefield— you see your troop facing an enemy and realize you’re army is not as equipped or your numbers have dwindeled so much that defeat is eminent. The captain calls “retreat” and the troops fall back and return to a safety zone. You intentionally move away from from an enemy to fall back, regroup, and seek safety before returning to the fight.
And while most of us aren't literally fighting a war, sometimes life can feel a little like one.
We're navigating schedules, responsibilities, bills, work, parenting, relationships, expectations, and the endless list of things that need our attention. We face opposition to our ideas, our intentions, and sometimes even our best efforts to simply do the right thing.
There is always something asking something of us.
And if we're constantly moving toward the next thing, when do we actually move away? Where is our safe place to regroup?
Where do we go to restore ourselves before stepping back into the demands of everyday life?
We need to retreat.
Retreat to intentionally move away from the opposition.
Of course, we all have little places of refuge.
Hopefully, your bed is one of them. Sleep is one of the most important ways our bodies restore themselves—but even sleep can be affected by stress, nutrition, alcohol, hormones, our environment, and everything else we're carrying with us.
Maybe you take a walk.
Maybe you sit quietly with your coffee.
Maybe you take your lunch outside to watch the trees blow in the breeze.
Maybe you go to yoga, spend time in nature, read a book, or have dinner with a friend.
These moments matter.
But sometimes we need more than an hour.
Sometimes we need to actually step away.
To change our surroundings.
To put down the responsibilities for a little while.
To let someone else prepare the meals.
To stop managing everyone else's schedule.
To be somewhere where the only thing being asked of us is to breathe, move, rest, connect, and simply be.
That's what retreat means to me.
I've been retreating since 2017.
I've been going on yearly yoga retreats since 2017, and every time I return home with something I didn't know I needed.
Sometimes it's clarity.
Sometimes it's rest.
Sometimes it's a new perspective.
Sometimes it's inspiration.
And sometimes it's simply the reminder that I am more than the roles I play every day.
Mom.
Teacher.
Coach.
Business owner.
Caretaker.
Organizer.
The person who remembers everyone's schedule.
The person who makes sure everyone else is okay.
A retreat gives me permission to step outside of all of those roles for a little while and simply be me. be Marion.
And I've realized that this is what I want to create for other women.
A place to retreat back to you.
Not to escape your life forever. Not because your life isn't good. Not because you're failing at keeping up.
But because you deserve a place to put it all down for a little while.
A place where you can exhale.
Move your body.
Spend time in nature.
Eat nourishing food.
Laugh.
Rest.
Be still.
Connect with other women.
And remember the person underneath all the doing.
That's the heart behind the retreat I'm creating this fall.
It's an invitation to step away from the noise and return to yourself.
Because sometimes the most productive thing we can do is stop fighting our way forward and retreat.
Not to give up.
Not to run away.
But to regroup, restore, and return to the life we love with a little more of ourselves intact.
Retreat is not defeat.
Just like in war, a retreat is not necessarily a sign of defeat.
Sometimes it's strategy.
Throughout military history, armies have intentionally retreated to gain more defensible ground, consolidate their forces, regroup, and change their position before returning to the fight. One military history account describes retreat not simply as pulling away from an enemy, but as a deliberate tactic—a way to create a better position for what comes next.
And maybe we can think about our own lives the same way.
Stepping away doesn't mean we're losing. It means we're paying attention.
We're recognizing that we can't keep pouring from an empty cup. That we need to step out of the noise, catch our breath, strengthen our resources, and remember who we are before we step back into the demands of everyday life.
A retreat is not giving up.
It is choosing to regroup.
It is choosing to restore.
It is choosing to strengthen yourself so that when you return, you aren't simply going back to the same life depleted and exhausted—you are returning with a little more clarity, a little more energy, and a little more of you.
That's why I'm so passionate about creating retreats.
Because I don't believe women need another thing to accomplish.
I believe we need spaces where we can stop accomplishing for a little while.
Spaces where we can breathe. Rest. Move. Laugh. Be nourished. Connect. Reflect.
And remember that underneath all the roles we carry, there is still a woman who deserves to be cared for, too.
So maybe this fall, your retreat isn't a retreat from your life.
Maybe it's a retreat back to yourself.
