A 4-day immersive leadership retreat with Sensei Zen Takai
Enter a sacred lineage where the wisdom of 16 generations of Samurai returns to Broughton Sanctuary. In this meeting place of East and West, you are invited to awaken your own warrior spirit and explore what it means to lead with presence, clarity, and strength.
"a training that teaches you not to win, but to find your own balance and potential"
Designed to help you move through life with purpose, balance, and resilience, this experience offers a grounded path for modern living.
In a time when constant information can pull us away from focus and true connection, Samurai principles remain a timeless guide. Beyond martial skill, they support unity, empathy, and harmonious coexistence. Through meditation, you deepen intuition and self-understanding. Through Samurai and Ninja techniques, you learn to connect with the elements and move forward with greater confidence. The Zen Samurai method then brings these insights into everyday life.
Samurai and Ninja training also cultivate discipline, emotional strength, and healthier relationships. These teachings are designed to support both individual and family wellbeing, creating a positive ripple effect in personal and collective life.
Sensei Zen Takai was born in Fukuoka, Japan, and grew up surrounded by swords. He comes from a family line of 16 generations of Samurais and Ninjas, selected from a special team created by Hattori Hanzo. Guided by deep self-study and exploration with his father, he mastered 18 arts and became a Sensei.
Shaped by Zen meditation, Bushido, and Shinto tradition, Sensei Zen Takai created his own mindfulness method, "The Zen Samurai Way" — a moving meditation for life leadership that began in the Samurai Ninja dojo in Tokyo. As the last of the Zen Samurai lineage, and with no children of his own, he was asked by his father to travel across the sea and share this method around the world as his life mission.
Avalon Pool Suite
Swim in a 20m clear swimming pool with views of the woodland nearby.
Restore and relax in the Hydro-Massage Pool.
Refresh in the Organic Shaped Sauna and Steam Room.
Let the Floatation Tank surround you with calm and tranquillity.
Woodland Sauna, Ice Bathing and Wild Swimming Experience
Enjoy a restorative wood-fired sauna experience set among the trees in a magical woodland.
The heat helps quiet the mind and gently release stress and toxins.
Combined with ice bathing in converted barrels and wild swimming, this is an invigorating practice to soothe mind, body, and soul.
Connect with nature, nourish creativity, and have fun in the process.
Fire Temple Celebration
Set in a picturesque woodland, this sheltered wooden space is ideal for an evening of drumming and entertainment.
Gather around the fire with fellow retreat guests and enjoy the warmth of togetherness under the evening sky.
The retreat takes place at the 2,500-acre Broughton Sanctuary, just outside Skipton at the foothills of the Yorkshire Dales, one of the most picturesque areas in the country. Established in 1097, Broughton Hall is a house of transformation and has been home to the Tempest family for more than 900 years, with a history that spans over a millennium.
The Sanctuary is also home to one of Britain’s most exciting nature recovery projects, supported by extensive tree planting and rewilding. In 2025, beavers will join the Sanctuary alongside native cattle and Iron Age pigs.
Avalon, the state-of-the-art wellbeing retreat centre, is the heart of the Sanctuary. With extensive indoor and outdoor spaces, it supports the inner journey of mind, body, and spirit. During your stay, you may unwind in the biophilic Pool Suite, featuring a clear 20-metre pool, steam room, sauna, and hydromassage pool. Beyond the building, the grounds invite you back to source through meditation labyrinths, wild swimming reservoirs, a cosmic garden, and more.
Accommodation is available across Broughton Hall and a diverse collection of 20 Retreat Houses, including converted barns, former coachhouses, and gatehouses.
Broughton Sanctuary is easily accessible by plane, car, and public transport.
From rooms in the Retreat Houses to the historic Broughton Hall, the Sanctuary offers a wide range of beautiful accommodation.
All accommodation options are thoughtfully designed to support rest, reflection, and integration of the retreat teachings. While room types and locations may vary, all accommodation is offered at the same fee, reflecting equal access to the full retreat experience rather than room hierarchy.
Four days of Zen Samurai training
Three nights accommodation
All meals and on-site transport
Full Samurai attire and practice equipment
Limited spaces available
This retreat is intentionally kept small to preserve depth of practice, personal attention, and group coherence.
Participation is by application only.
Sensei Zen Takai
Price
£3,675.00
Thu, Jun 18 – Sun, Jun 21