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Events, Lifestyle, Self-Care, Wellness · February 6, 2026

Break & Breathe Retreat 2026: A restorative retreat for women who have carried the weight of the world with grace. It’s time to pause, breathe, and offer yourself the same nurturing you’ve given everyone else.

A restorative retreat for women who have carried the weight of the world with grace. It’s time to pause, breathe, and offer yourself the same nurturing you’ve given everyone else.

If you’ve been operating in survival mode, caregiving mode, or high-functioning burnout, this retreat is your strategic pause. Not to “fix” yourself. Not to power through. Not to perform healing.

Break & Breathe is a gentle reset for your nervous system, your body, and your sense of self, so you can come back online with more ease, clarity, and capacity.

Rest is not a reward. Rest is the inspiration.

When your nervous system softens, you don’t just feel better. You think clearer. You breathe deeper. You remember what you actually want.

What This Retreat Is

Break & Breathe is a trauma-informed, soul-centered retreat rooted in nervous system regulation, safety, and consent-based practices. Nothing is forced. Nothing is rushed. Everything is invitational.

This is a regulated container* designed to help you:

  • Downshift out of chronic stress and constant vigilance
  • Reconnect with your body in a way that feels safe and supportive
  • Experience rest that goes beyond “sleeping in” or taking a day off
  • Feel held by nature, community, and spacious time

*This is a regulated container, meaning the retreat environment is calm, trauma-informed, and consent-based. Nothing is forced or rushed. You’ll be guided with care, offered choices at every step, and supported in a way that helps your nervous system settle so you can truly rest.

This Retreat Is For You If

  • You are burned out from caregiving, especially if you’re supporting a child with special needs
  • You’re carrying more emotional labor than anyone sees
  • You feel depleted in a way that your usual routines cannot touch
  • You’re tired of self-improvement as another job
  • Your body is asking for slowness, softness, and room to breathe

You do not need to arrive calm, healed, or “ready.” You only need to arrive willing to receive.

What You’ll Experience

Programming is designed around restoration, not intensity. While the exact flow may vary, you can expect a blend of:

  • Grounding practices to support nervous system regulation
  • Gentle movement and breath to bring you back into your body
  • Quiet reflection time, journaling, and integration
  • Optional sharing circles with clear boundaries and zero pressure
  • Unstructured space to nap, walk, stare at the sky, or do absolutely nothing
  • Healthy, nutritious meals and snacks to nourish your body from the inside out

This is a retreat for women who are used to being the strong one. Here, you get to be supported.

The Setting: Rocas Retreat

You’ll be hosted at Rocas Retreat in Valley Center, CA, on 15 acres in the gentle rolling hills of northern San Diego County, close to Temecula’s wine country.  

The property is designed for rest and reset, with amenities that support deep exhale energy, including a heated pool, hot tub, sauna, meditation spaces, walking paths, and an outdoor fire feature under the stars.  

Accommodations on-site include options like a tiny house and a ranch house, created to feel comfortable, intentional, and peaceful.  

Dates + Location

June 18–21  

Valley Center, CA (approximately 1 hour from downtown San Diego)  

Hosted at Rocas Retreat (San Diego area)

Your Takeaway

You’ll leave with more than a “nice weekend.” You’ll leave with:

  • A calmer baseline
  • More internal bandwidth
  • Simple tools you can use at home when life ramps up again
  • A felt sense of being cared for, without having to earn it

Related posts:

  1. The Importance of Self-Care for Moms of Special Needs Children: Introducing Break & Breathe
  2. Break and Breathe 2025: A Retreat for Caregivers of Special Needs Children to Recharge and Connect
  3. The Importance of Self-Care Breaks for Caretakers of Special Needs Children
  4. Radiant Resilience: A Mother’s Triumph, Overcoming Adversities to Inspire Self-Healing and Inspire Others

Posted By: Elizabeth · In: Events, Lifestyle, Self-Care, Wellness

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Recent Posts

  • Break & Breathe Retreat 2026: A restorative retreat for women who have carried the weight of the world with grace. It’s time to pause, breathe, and offer yourself the same nurturing you’ve given everyone else.
  • The Power of Breathwork and Meditation for Anxiety in Autism
  • The Importance of Self-Care Breaks for Caretakers of Special Needs Children
  • Break and Breathe 2025: A Retreat for Caregivers of Special Needs Children to Recharge and Connect
  • Radiant Resilience: A Mother’s Triumph, Overcoming Adversities to Inspire Self-Healing and Inspire Others

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Hi there! I'm Debra, and I am here to help parents of children who are neurodiverse. Do you need help balancing your own life while caring for your children who fall in the autistic spectrum? Do you need help designing a sensory space for your child or a sacred space for yourself to help you deal with the stresses of raising a neurodiverse child? As a parent of a neurodiverse daughter for the past 22 years, I have the experience, knowledge, and know-how to get you and your child on track to live your best life possible!

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World autism awareness day, moving from surviving World autism awareness day, moving from surviving to thriving
In 2007, the United Nations general assembly declared April 2 as World  Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need for help to improve the quality of life for those with autism so they can live full meaningful lives as an integral part of society. Appropriate support, accommodations and acceptance of this neurological variation allow those on the spectrum to enjoy equal opportunity. 

Fun Fact: here are some individuals affected by autism: Scientist,  Albert Einstein , poet Emily Dickinson, movie, Director, Tim Burton, and tech entrepreneur, Elon Musk. 

I’m so blessed to be able to be on this journey with you @ryanelee30 
I’m so proud of all your accomplishments and I look forward to what your future has for you. 

Thank you to all those who have assisted in Ryanes growth and development 🙌🏻🙏🏻👏🏼🦋💙 #worldautismawarenessday #autismawarenessmonth #lightitblue #ilovesomeonewithautism
March is a very significant month for me for sever March is a very significant month for me for several reasons and it’s colon cancer awareness month. I’ve been very transparent about my colon cancer journey since I was diagnosed in March of 2022.  With the growing rapid rate of colon cancer in healthy individuals like myself, I can’t express to you enough how important early screening is. If you are 45, please get a colonoscopy as early detection is key. Cancer of the colon is a highly treatable and often curable disease when localized to the bowel. Surgery is the primary form of treatment and results in cure in approximately 50% of patients.  I’m grateful I was amongst the 50%. It’s important to understand that you can be a vegan, a vegetarian, a pescatarian or a carnivore and cancer doesn’t discriminate. In today’s world and the environment we live in,
we must do our best to treat our body with love and kindness, we get only one! Our body is our temple, let’s treat as though. If you have not done so, schedule  your colonoscopy today, your health matters ! @colorectalcanceralliance #yourhealthmatters #coloncancerawareness
#coloncancerthriver
We have all heard the saying, “nobody gets out of We have all heard the saying, “nobody gets out of this life unscathed!”What  exactly does that mean?! 
We all experience humanness and hardship in our lifetime.  When we are younger we can’t seem to fully grasp the lessons life throws at you. What we don’t realize that it’s  only through trials that we can truly  evolve and grow. In my opinion,  how we evolve personally is through challenging times and  how you respond to them. You can avoid, you can run, you can suppress, you can be angry, sad or depressed… OR you can choose to accept the challenge and surrender to it. All the these reactions are in our nature and all these choices are ok to feel them! Often times we may not be equipped or have the tools to respond in a way that would best serve our higher self. 

With that being said, I recently just had another surgery to remove a benign mass in my neck.  I could only see the tip of the iceberg, but underneath lurking was something larger than was originally perceived, so it was removed. Similar to life, we only present to people a small window of
of our story and perhaps leave out all the underlying painful parts. With this experience, I said good by to many painful memories that perhaps were stored deep in my soul. The saying “pain in my neck “ I guess my body took literally. 😆 I went into this procedure with the intention of letting go and felt  at peace with the purpose of this process. There were many responses to make,  like why again , why me, I can’t believe this is happening again blah blah blah blah… The complete surrender to a challenge and looking at the situation with a positive mindset, I believe can set you up for a successful outcome. 
Remember that we are the authors of our own story and our powerful thoughts have the ability to change the outcome. I am healing and I am healed. I am love, I am loved…. I AM 

Be Blessed ❤️🦋💪🏼🙌🏻❤️‍🩹🙏🏻 #grateful #cancerthriver #postivemindeset #yourstory #strongernow
Scanxiety! I didn’t know of such term until recen Scanxiety! I didn’t  know of such term until recently when I called a dear friend of mine who has been through a similar experience with cancer in her review mirror.  Thanks friend 👏🏼 What is Scanxiety? “Distress leading up to, during and after an imaging scan has been termed ‘scanxiety’ [2].” “‘Scanxiety’ refers to the often-debilitating anxiety patients with cancer experience in the period surrounding imaging studies for their cancer. 
A part of my journey is getting blood work every 6 months and yearly CT scans.  December 2023, my blood work was clean, but the doctor always recommends CT scans in addition to blood work. I’m not a big fan of exposing my body to harmful radiation, but it’s all a part of this journey. This time I had so many emotions come up for me.  Honestly,  I was a mess. I allowed myself to feel the feels and ride each wave. I’m thankful for healthy outlets like working out, dance class and breathwork techniques to keep my body healthy and mind sane.  Even still with these wonderful outlets your mind can get the best of you. I will share a funny experience that helped diffuse my nerves with this past scan.  I was was getting prepped for the scan, and the first IV would not go in my vein properly, so the gentleman chose the other side, which went in nicely, so we thought 😆  Picture this, I’m in the tube  with my arms positioned above my head , and the gentleman tells me he’s going to infuse the solution. As soon as the solution is being delivered, it starts spraying everywhere all over me. Either my  vein pushed it out or the IV was not in properly.  So we had to stop and start the IV process all over again, which made me laugh 😂 My nerves left and all I could focus on was, “did that really just happen and I hope this comes out of my hair!” All this to say, ride the waves and feel the feels. Moments are fleeting… find joy in the little things and don’t  take life for granted!!! Have fun!!!🤩 
March is colon cancer awareness month, if you are 45 or older, please schedule a colonoscopy. Colon cancer is not just an unhealthy or elderly persons disease. Early detection is key #coloncancerawarenessmonth #coloncancerthriver 🦋💙💪🏼
Happy Birthday my love! I’m grateful that we keep Happy Birthday my love! I’m grateful that we keep creating more beautiful memories together. May we continue to enjoy life as it unfolds with all that comes with it.  May this year bring you even more success in all areas of your life and ours together. ❤️👏🏼🙏🏻 Martin Hernandez
Christmas Day in Colombia 🇨🇴 2023. It was our fir Christmas Day in Colombia 🇨🇴 2023.  It was our first year spending Christmas in another country and it was my nephews first Christmas.  It was a lovely afternoon spent on a farm surrounded by nature.  Thank you lil brother ,  @holisticmarie and family for a wonderful day.
It was such a honor to share my story on In This L It was such a honor to share my story on In This Life podcast with Malory Elaine. Thank you @malory_elaine for this share. 👏🏼❤️
Click the link below to listen. 

#https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/in-this-life-with-malory-elaine/id1717619625?i=1000639367435
What you may not know ?! It’s been almost 2 ye What you may not  know ?! 

It’s been almost  2 years since I broke my ankle. I dance with a plate and 7 screws. You also may not know that a year and  9 months  ago,  I was diagnosed with colon cancer. I’ve experienced a roller coaster of emotions from extreme highs to lows and everything in between. So much has transpired, so many positive outcomes, so many blessings, I am beyond grateful ! But  those negative thoughts try to sneak into my subconscious especially when it’s time to have my quarterly blood work and doctor’s visit.  The subtle anxiety I feel affects my whole energy, even my blood pressure. I pray, I meditate and take deep breaths, and still that subtle negative voice try’s to whisper in my ear. Today I walked into the office to get my blood work and there was a sign that said, “life is just hard sometimes and some days are just rough and that’s  ok, it’s ok to cry  to move forward! Basically it’s ok to be human!” 
Yes I am human, I have emotions and all the things that come with that.  It was a reminder of how suppressing your emotions can create stress and anxiety.  My anxiety created stress in my body and my blood pressure was as elevated to 163/80. When I got home I retested myself and it was 127/75. This is why mindset,  working out, self care and giving yourself grace is extremely valuable.  Stress has a major effect on so, embrace the good and the tough times. For  me I will continue to work out, care for my health and dance whenever I can, this is what my soul needs to fully express itself and reduce my stress.  What is yours?! #cancerthriver #stressfree #selfcare #yourhealthmatters

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