Finding Our Formation

The author describes arriving at Mount Madonna Center, a place where the land and community create a deeply intentional atmosphere rooted in yoga tradition. There, thirty retreat center leaders gathered for the Retreat Center Collaboration’s annual meeting. Through shared conversations about challenges, leadership, mission, and sustainability—and through shared practices like sitting in the temple—they recognized a unifying truth: retreat centers across traditions face the same essential questions and are part of a larger, interconnected network. The gathering reinforced that collaboration, not competition, strengthens their collective work. The author leaves with a renewed sense of belonging and an invitation for others in the retreat center world to connect, knowing they’re not alone in this sacred work.