Learning to breathe again when you're stuck in the spin cycle of life.
with Ruby Wax
10th - 15th December, 2025
A five-night retreat because we know that when we feel connected to our bodies and minds, it’s as if we’ve found home. I will offer workshops and tools to help you stop negative thinking patterns and teach you to understand that who we are is enough. If we can create a calmer environment inside us, it affects everyone around us. We humans work like neural WiFi - if we change ourselves, we change the world.
Held at Broughton Sanctuary - described by Ruby as ‘the coolest place I’ve ever been’ - this five-night immersive retreat takes place at the UK’s leading luxury retreat centre. Blending brain science, ancient wisdom, and creative self-inquiry, designed to help you rewire your thinking, calm your nervous system, and rediscover a sense of peace and purpose.
THE TEACHER
Ruby sets the scene. Drawing on her Oxford training in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy - and her own lived experience - she unpacks why your mind behaves the way it does, why thoughts are so often negative and why modern life makes it worse. How to stop being driven by your thoughts; become the driver, not the driven.
THE VENUE
The astonishing Broughton Sanctuary has secured a reputation as the most progressive and forward-thinking outpost for intelligent wellbeing in the UK. The ancestral home of the Tempest family since 1097, the estate is home to one of the UK’s leading nature recovery projects with over 350,000 trees planted in recent years. Activities range from wild swimming and woodland saunas to the holistic highs of Avalon, a state-of-the-art wellbeing centre offering treatments and therapies. The surrounding estate boasts a neo-Gothic chapel, landscaped gardens, ancient woodlands, and meandering rivers. The ideal backdrop for reflection and rejuvenation
THE ACCOMMODATION
Choose from rooms in the luxurious 16th-century Broughton Hall (the setting for numerous acclaimed films and series) or stay in one of the cosy retreat houses, with options for single or double occupancy and shared or private bathrooms.
THE FOOD
The group eats together and meals are served at Utopia, Broughton’s contemporary walled garden bistro, designed by Sir Michael Hopkins with gardens by Dan Pearson. The food is delicious - a true highlight of the retreat. Seasonal, locally sourced and plant-based – everything is thoughtfully prepared to nourish body and mind.
THE RESULTS
The retreat acts as a powerful container for renewal - emotionally, mentally, and physically. Whether you're navigating big life changes, burnout, muddled thinking or a lack of self-worth, you’ll leave feeling grounded, supported, with both new friends and practical reset tools to carry into everyday life.
How to stay sane in an insane world. Join us.
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Five nights’ accommodation at Broughton Sanctuary, Yorkshire
Programme designed by Ruby Wax
Group sessions, reflective writing workshops, guided meditations and live Q&As
Mindfulness practices to reduce stress and stay present
Cognitive strategies to manage negative thoughts and emotions
Time in nature, space for reflection, and restorative downtime
Access to the Avalon Pool Suite, woodland sauna, hydro-massage pool and wild swimming
Nourishing, plant-based meals prepared by Broughton’s retreat chefs
5-night retreat
Broughton Sanctuary, Yorkshire
Wednesday 10th December - Monday 15th December 2025
If you can't make the December dates please register your interest for Ruby's next retreat in March 2026: