May 8th – 10th, 2026
Hosted at The Quarterdeck Resort Beachside Villas & Grill in Summerville Centre, NS
Facilitated by Jacqueline Milner, Psychologist and Director, Breathe Mindfulness Centre
For mothers, caregivers, leaders, and women navigating the transformative tides of midlife, this is your invitation to exhale.
So much of life is spent holding – family, work, responsibility, and the quiet emotional labor that keeps everything moving forward. In that constancy, it is easy to lose your own rhythm. This Mother’s Day weekend, we invite you to the edge of the Atlantic to gently put the weight down. To be held by the ocean long enough to remember who you are when you aren’t needed – only present.
Giving back to those who give so much.
This weekend is grounded in evidence-based mindfulness, gentle movement, breathwork, and guided rest, with a particular sensitivity to women’s nervous systems – especially during midlife and caregiving years.
The intention is to support:
Mindful Mocktails and Opening Savoring Practice
A guided sensory welcome introducing the practice of mindful savoring — lingering with what is pleasant and noticing what feels nourishing. Through taste, scent, pacing, and pause, this opening evening sets the tone: slowing down, arriving fully, and listening inward.
Morning Gentle Yoga and Breathwork
Two grounding morning sessions of slow, mindful movement and breath awareness, designed especially for midlife bodies and varying energy levels. Always optional and choice-based; no prior experience is required.
The Changing Tides Circle (Optional)
Exploring Women’s Transitions
A gently facilitated morning circle offering science-informed insight and practical guidance for navigating perimenopause, menopause, and post-menopause.
Together, we explore:
Listening is participating. There is no expectation to share.
Evening Ocean-Inspired Yoga Nidra – Deep Rest
Two distinct guided practices — one releasing what you carry, the other settling into the stillness beneath the waves. Both support nervous-system regulation and deep, restorative sleep.
Spacious, Unstructured Time
Intentional space for rest, reflection, ocean walks, the sauna, the pool, or doing nothing at all — because restoration cannot be rushed.
Between guided sessions, you are invited to walk the shoreline, journal, nap, or simply sit with the sea without agenda or expectation.
Here, rest is not a pause from the weekend. It is the heart of it.
Set along Nova Scotia’s South Shore, The Quarterdeck Resort offers a naturally calming coastal environment where the rhythm of the ocean supports restoration without effort.
Booking Your Experience
Registration for the entire weekend is managed directly through the Quarterdeck.
*Registration link to follow with itinerary details soon!*
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The Retreat Package – $599 plus HST (per person, based on double occupancy).
Your booking includes a two-night stay in a Seawood two-bedroom apartment featuring full kitchen and ocean-view terrace, the complete Ocean Pause retreat curriculum with all facilitated sessions, and a curated welcome gift to support your restoration.
Enjoy the flexibility of preparing meals in your private kitchen or reserve a table at the oceanfront restaurant and order from the à la carte menu. Reservations are recommended to ensure availability.
This weekend is inclusive of all women and may be especially supportive if you:
Completed registrations indicate understanding and acceptance of our Payment, Cancellation and Refund Policy.