From Mind Science to Mythology: New 2025-26 Retreat Series at Yorkshire's Broughton Sanctuary
Yorkshire’s Broughton Sanctuary has announced its upcoming, transformational retreats at Avalon Wellbeing – including Ruby Wax returning to lead a new mental health retreat, the launch of the first SENSE Retreat for HSP (Highly Sensitive People), the Zen Samurai Retreat returning for its second year, and - for the first time at Broughton - a debut programme from acclaimed author Sharon Blackie.
From cutting-edge research into consciousness, to practical tools for resilience and land-based mythic practices, these retreats bring together leaders in psychology, mythology, consciousness research and wellbeing. They blend world-class facilitation with the restorative power of a stay at Broughton Sanctuary, offering participants the chance to rest, reflect and reimagine their place in the world. For details of all their upcoming retreats, please visit here.
THE SENSE RETREAT
Dates: 10-14 October 2025
Are you someone who experiences the world deeply – feeling, thinking and sensing with depth and intuition? Are you empathetic, imaginative and deeply sensitive? Are you longing for a space to rest, discover, and truly belong? The new SENSE Retreat at Broughton has been created to support Highly Sensitive People (HSP) in embracing their natural strengths. Blending restorative practices, scientific insight and community connection, the retreat offers a safe space for reflection and growth. Workshops, talks and activities will be guided by leading specialists in sensitivity research, including psychologist Kirsty Allan, and integrative psychotherapist Catherine Asta. Alongside deep rest, participants will explore the concept of ‘vantage sensitivity’, the powerful gifts of empathy, creativity, intuition and heightened perception. Attendees will also contribute to live research that advances understanding of sensitivity and its role in both personal and collective transformation.
Prices from £1,300 per person.
ANNUAL SCIENCE & CONSCIOUSNESS RETREAT
Dates: 20-24 October 2025
The annual Science & Consciousness Retreat builds on the groundbreaking research of Princeton scientists Professor Robert Jahn and Brenda Dunne, whose studies revealed that human consciousness can influence the physical world and demonstrated our profound interconnectedness beyond time and space. Participants will have the rare opportunity to work with the original experimental equipment, directly engaging with the field of consciousness while also grounding their experience in nature and wellbeing practices. Combining scientific inquiry with experiential learning, the programme features talks and discussions led by leading scientists, academics and practitioners in the field of consciousness studies. Through real-time experiments and guided practices, attendees will explore the nature of consciousness and its practical applications in everyday life.
Prices from £799 per person.
RUBY WAX RETREAT: LEARNING TO BREATHE AGAIN WHEN YOU’RE STUCK IN THE SPIN CYCLE OF LIFE
Dates: 10-15 December 2025
Returning for their fourth collaborative Broughton retreat, writer and mental health advocate Ruby Wax, Buddhist monk Gelong Thubten, and author Rahla Xenopoulos will lead a new series of workshops, offering practical tools and lifestyle changes to help participants navigate the pressures of modern life. Those booking the retreat will also receive a complimentary Crystal Light Therapy session, worth £30.
Prices from £1,800 per person.
SHARON BLACKIE: A PSYCHE THE SIZE OF EARTH - CREATING A NEW MYTHOLOGY OF PLACE
Dates: 23-28 February 2026
Dr. Sharon Blackie, award-winning author, psychologist and a respected voice in folklore and mythology, will lead an immersive retreat rooted in Celtic mythology, archetypal psychology and a profound connection to the land. The programme invites participants to explore what psychologist James Hillman called “a psyche the size of Earth.” Through story, journeying, writing and land-based practices, guests will rediscover the wisdom of native British and Irish traditions and learn to weave themselves more deeply into the living stories of the places they inhabit.
Prices from £1,700 per person.
THE ZEN SAMURAI RETREAT: ANCIENT JAPANESE TEACHINGS FOR A FOCUSED LIFE
Dates: June 2026 TBC (pre-registration open)
Following the success of his first retreat at Broughton Sanctuary in 2025, Sensei Zen Takai, a descendant of 16 generations of Samurai, returns to Yorkshire to share “The Zen Samurai Way”. Rooted in Bushido (the way of the warrior), Zen meditation and Shinto tradition, his immersive programme blends martial arts, calligraphy and mindful movement into a moving meditation for modern life leadership. Guests are invited to cultivate resilience and clarity, reconnect with nature, and discover their own warrior spirit within the restorative landscapes of Broughton Sanctuary.
Prices from £1,000 per person.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About Broughton Sanctuary and Avalon Wellbeing
Broughton Sanctuary, in the stunning Yorkshire Dales, is the only accredited Healing Hotel in the United Kingdom. This accolade celebrates Broughton Sanctuary’s dedication to the healing power of wild wellbeing through activities and retreats, innovative rewilding initiatives, and sustainability. National Geographic Traveller has also recognised this dedication, naming it one of the world’s thirty coolest places to visit in 2024. Additionally, Broughton Sanctuary has been commended as "one to watch" in the Rest of the World Responsible Tourism Awards.
Broughton Sanctuary offers 98 Bedrooms and 171 Beds for guests on retreats, ranging from the luxurious 16th Century ‘Broughton Hall’ itself (the location for numerous acclaimed films and TV serials) to an off-grid ‘Hermit Hut’ and cosy ‘Sanctuary Homes’. Home to one of the UK’s leading nature recovery projects with over 320,000 trees planted to date, outdoor immersive activities include wild swimming, woodland saunas, forest bathing, ice bathing, sweat lodges, fire temple ceremonies, meditation labyrinths, moon baths and woodland dining in the Cosmic Garden. A walled garden bistro, ‘Utopia’ also serves plant-based delights, and in-house chefs in the historic house can create to any requirement.
Nestled within the sanctuary, the newer Avalon Wellbeing was conceived as the beating wellbeing heart by visionary owners Roger Tempest and his partner Paris Ackrill. As well as a swimming pool, sauna, steam room (hydromassage pool), state-of-the art studio spaces, personal training studios, crystal light bed and Somadome meditation pod, Avalon acts as the central hub for residential retreats. Daily yoga and meditation sessions are available as well as events, workshops and an outstanding team of experienced therapists and healers. Experience everything from Acupuncture, Ayurvedic Treatments and Psychotherapy to Herbal Medicine, Trauma Release, Floatation Chambers, varying forms of bodywork and Sound Baths.
Together Broughton and Avalon have forged a reputation as the most progressive and forward-thinking outposts for intelligent wellbeing in the UK.