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Coming Home with Dawn Cartwright
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"We all carry the potential to realize, in real time, that the vibrant energy we experience
when we feel truly loved, seen and met, is who we actually are." Dawn Cartwright
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June 26th - 28th . Commune Topanga
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Coming Home . NeoTantra Retreat For Singles & Couples
Somebody once said getting there is half the fun.
I wholeheartedly agree.
Several years ago I was driving through the back of beyond in the Santa Barbara mountains, on my way to my first NeoTantra retreat with my teacher, Margot Anand.
Now, from the highway, the Santa Barbara mountains look pretty straightforward. I mean, they are mountains. You go up the mountains. You come down the mountains.
Not so, my fellow travelers.
Up in those mountains there are side roads and forestry roads and goat trails that look, surprisingly, a lot like roads.
Street lights are scarce. Road signs even scarcer.
It was getting dark as I wound my way along a particular goat trail with high aspirations when I found myself, dusty and hot, confronted by a neon sign heralding the king of beers. And a little local bar beside it.
I’d been driving for hours by this time, so, in my dusty, disoriented state, this little red cabin promised all the luxury of the Four Seasons. Air conditioning? A ladies lounge? I pulled up on a little incline behind the bar and got out.
I had no way of knowing the entire population of Santa Barbara was waiting for me there in that little cabin painted red. I opened the screen door and was met with all eyes on me - what I can only imagine must be the secret handshake, as it were, of this particular locale.
There was complete and utter silence. A sort of suspended animation. Even the air, already sluggish, stopped moving.
And though my mind did a little dance calculating every possible escape, I was already in and any sign of my backing out would have made me starkly suspicious.
I was here and here I was. But where was I?
I had inadvertently interrupted a secret meeting of the Santa Barbara Mountain Society, obviously.
I casually sat down at the bar, ordered a quesadilla, and proceeded to be interviewed by the bartender while everyone else pretended to mind their own business.
I got directions. (Three different iterations from 3 different people.) Ate my quesadilla. Visited the ladies lounge. Then headed for the door.
As the screen door strained against its spring, I looked over my shoulder as the sea of now familiar faces bid me goodnight. Somehow, through osmosis, every member of the Santa Barbara Mountain Society knew my most intimate personal details. Where I was headed, how long I’d be there, the name of the OBGYN who had delivered me, the last 4 digits of my social security number. We were kin. The screen door slapped closed behind me and I was on my way.
Turns out, during my stay at the establishment the king calls home, a ranking member of the Santa Barbara Mountain Society had parked their brand new quarter-ton pickup close behind my rental car. The rental car with a manual transmission. Parked on a steep incline.
Lucky for me, I’ve been driving stick shift since I was 16. Not so lucky for me, this clutch ran very high on the pedal. Suffice to say there was a lot of sweat and more than a few tears getting clear of that pickup - but I managed. And just as I turned to pull out of the parking lot, I glanced over at the little red bar to see the entire Santa Barbara Mountain Society pressed against the windows cheering me on.
Getting there is at least half the fun. When we’re all in it together.
Yes, this is a true story. Names and locations have been changed to protect the secrecy of the Santa Barbara Mountain Society.
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At the heart of NeoTantra there is a promise as old as the Vedas and as new as the latest neuroscience — our bodies are designed to be vessels of the sacred. Reachable through breath, touch, and the living warmth of genuine human contact.
Yet stress accumulates. Familiarity sets in. Our bodies learn to manage rather than feel, and intimacy — moments of being truly present with another person — quietly narrows into routine.
Coming Home is a weekend retreat designed to find the way back to this sense of adventure. Inhabiting our ordinary lives so completely that access to the extraordinary becomes available again.
Our retreat coming up in June is a lot like that little slice of heaven I stumbled upon all those years ago. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing some tips — and a few practices — on how to prepare.
For quiet mornings.
Sensual nights.
New people.
Life-changing discoveries.
We think we're signing up for a weekend in the Santa Monica Mountains. And we are.
But what's actually happening — what no roadmap or packing list can prepare us for — is that moment when we step out of our car into a room full of people who are ready and waiting for exactly this moment.
People who want what we want. Who feel what we feel. People who are vibrantly alive, just like us.
We are already connected.
It's about time we met.
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5 Tips For Getting There
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Coming Home . June 26th - 28th . NeoTantra Retreat For Singles & Couples
Sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson spent a decade mapping the human body's journey to ecstasy. And for some unknown reason, one of their most important discoveries never made the headlines.
We’re all familiar with the four phases of the sexual response cycle — excitement, plateau, orgasm, resolution.
However — ready for this — the phase most associated with profound, full-body pleasure isn't the orgasm.
It's the plateau.
The longest phase. The one we almost always rush through on our way to a destination. The phase where arousal deepens, sensation intensifies, and the body — if we let it — opens into something far more expansive.
The getting there.
5 Tips For Getting There
TIP 01 — Check The Fuel Before You Leave The Driveway
Most of us set out on the greatest journeys of our lives running on empty. Before we can go anywhere worth going — we need to know what we're working with. Over these next few weeks, we'll take an honest inventory. Sleep. Nourishment. The places in our body that are asking for our attention. A well-tended body is a body that can actually feel the sensations life ignites in it. And feeling alive and connected is the whole point of the trip.
TIP 02 — Take The Scenic Route
There is always a faster way to get there. The freeway exists. We know about the freeway. These next few weeks — we're taking a break from the freeway. Choosing the road that winds. The one that invites us to slow down, roll the windows down, notice things we would have missed if we were speeding along at 85 mph, or on cruise control. Our body has its own scenic route. There are many hidden gems along the way for the traveler who isn't in a hurry.
TIP 03 — Don't Skip The Rest Stops
We've been taught that pausing is the opposite of efficiency. It is not. The rest stop is where we stretch, breathe, feel our legs again, remember we have a body. These next few weeks, let's build in the pause. Before we move to the next thing — linger in the last one. Let sensation complete itself before we reach for more. Our body knows exactly what to do when we stop rushing it.
TIP 04 — Turn Off The GPS
The GPS knows the fastest route. It does not know the best one. Between now and June 26th, we'll navigate by feel. By curiosity. By what draws us rather than what directs us. We'll allow our attention to move the way water moves — toward what's calling to us. We may not end up where we planned. Chances are, we'll end up somewhere even better.
TIP 05 — Pull Over For The View
There will be a moment — there is always a moment — when something stops us mid-journey. A sensation. A feeling. Something that says here. stay here. don't move yet. Let's practice pulling over and sinking into that moment instead of driving through it. Let it expand. Let it fill the whole windshield. The view from the plateau, it turns out, is the most spectacular one on the entire roadtrip.
I invite you to implement these five simple tips into your life as you prepare for the roadtrip up into Topanga mountains in June. Can't wait to see you there.
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The Schedule . . .
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Coming Home . June 26th - 28th . NeoTantra Retreat For Singles & Couples
The flow of the sessions may change over the course of the weekend - we ask, in advance, for your flexibility and understanding.
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FRIDAY EVENING — ARRIVAL & OPENING
3:00pm – 5:00pm · Check In
Settle in · Meet your fellow travelers · Begin to exhale
6:00pm – 7:00pm · Dinner
7:30pm – 9:30pm · Opening Session
Welcome to NeoTantra · Arriving · NeoTantra Breathing Practices
9:30pm onwards · Free Time
Stargazing, sauna, hot tub, and plunge pool available
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SATURDAY — AWAKENING
7:00am – 7:30am · Fruit, Tea, Coffee
7:30am – 8:30am · Morning Movement · Meditation
8:30am – 9:30am · Breakfast
10:00am – 1:00pm · Morning Session
Sexual Breathing & the Inner Flute · Giving & Receiving · Heart Salutation · Melting Hug · Soul Gazing · Sharing Circle
1:00pm – 2:00pm · Lunch
2:00pm – 4:00pm · Free Time
Hike, Sauna, Plunge Pool, Nap · Fresh Bread & Snack Spread
4:00pm – 6:00pm · Afternoon Session
The Pelvis & Pelvic Floor Awakening · Sexual Persona · Women's Circle & Men's Circle
6:00pm – 7:00pm · Dinner
8:00pm – 9:00pm · Evening Ceremony
A ceremonial evening of surrender, connection & the awakening of simple pleasures
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SUNDAY — RECOGNITION & HOMECOMING
7:00am – 7:30am · Fruit, Tea, Coffee
8:00am – 11:00am · Morning Session
Cultivating Sexual Pleasure · Opening to a Partner · Letting Go · Who Are You as a Sexual Being? · Sharing Circle
11:00am – 12:00pm · Sunday Brunch
12:00pm – 1:30pm · Pancha Upacharas Closing Celebration
The five sacred moments of access to the divine within · Aarti · Closing Circle
Depart at 1:30 pm. Topanga is full of epic hikes and cool little local shops, and the beach is just 20 minutes away. Ask us for recommendations.
All practices are taught fully clothed. There is no nudity and no sexual contact between participants. Every practice may be engaged solo or with a partner. No prior experience required.
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"For me it's really about connecting through intimacy. It's centered around love… loving yourself and others… fully and completely. It's the invisible thread that runs through us all."
— Nicole
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The Venue . . .
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Coming Home . June 26th - 28th . NeoTantra Retreat For Singles & Couples
Our retreat in Topanga sits on ten acres of meandering paths, oak trees, and organic gardens at the end of a road in a remote valley of the Santa Monica Mountains — less than an hour from the heart of Los Angeles, and another world entirely.
Guests sleep on organic mattresses and linens in charming A-frame glamping cabins, private tea house rooms, and intimate guest quarters — each space thoughtfully designed for two. Bathrooms are shared among kindred spirits, inviting the kind of unhurried morning encounters that remind us we are part of something larger than ourselves.
Every meal is home-cooked from the bounty of LA's finest local farmers, shared together at a common table. Sauna, hot tub, and plunge pool are yours during free time — along with the trails, gardens, and quiet corners that seem to hold their breath and wait for you.
Songwriter Neil Young lived on this land for many years and said it inspired some of his best work. I know it will inspire the best in us as well.
Directions and parking details sent with your registration confirmation.
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Investment & Registration
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Coming Home . June 26th - 28th . NeoTantra Retreat For Singles & Couples
Come as you are and leave the logistics to us. This is a fully residential experience — shared rooms, shared baths, and every meal from Friday dinner through Sunday brunch included. Glamping, Topanga style. All you need to bring is yourself.
Singles will be matched with a same-gender roommate. Couples will share a private room. If you are traveling solo and would prefer your own room, solo occupancy is available with a single supplement.
WELCOME IN — YOUR INVESTMENT
General Registration · $2,497 per person
Register by June 19, 2026
Solo occupancy · $400
Private single room, shared bath
COMING HOME . JUNE 26TH - 28TH . REGISTER NOW
All sales are final. No refunds or transfers. In the event of extraordinary circumstances, credits toward a future event may be offered at the sole discretion of Dawn.
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Chandra Bindu Tantra Institute
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www.chandrabindutantrainstitute.com
310.592.1293
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