“The paths are many, the Truth is One.”

Some of you may know Carmen as a meditation teacher, a graphic designer, mother of Issa and Leia, stepmother of Dana and Andrew, and Martin’s life partner. As Carmen likes to say: “We all play many roles in our life. The name changes, the people around us change, the career may change, but deep down we are all here to walk the path of truth…to be innocent and playful…to dance and celebrate.”

Please read below to learn more about Carmen’s life.

Carmen was born as Karmen Ferk on February 14th, 1961 in a tiny fisherman town called Izola on the Adriatic coast in Slovenia (former Yugoslavia). She was raised in a family that was passionate about nature, music and art.  They taught her the importance of staying connected to the natural rhythms of life. Her mother’s kind and compassionate heart and her father’s joyful nature were the strong imprints from her early years that guided Carmen throughout her life. Her spiritual quest started at an early age, when she developed an interest in Catholic Mysticism derived from the Christian tradition of her country. She spent several years touring many famous cathedrals in Europe, fostering her deep respect for art, music and spirituality. Carmen graduated in 1985 from the Faculty of Arts, University of Ljubljana where she received her BA from the Department of Slavistics and the Department of Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology.  Carmen and her former husband moved to Los Angeles in 1986 where they started their family and she devoted her time to raising their two daughters Issa and Leia.

Carmen’s personal practice of yoga and meditation started upon her arrival in Los Angeles. Her ever-present thirst for spiritual growth has brought many wonderful teachers into her life. Her deep yearning for truth was manifested in her frequent travels to India between the years of 2006 and 2010. Her travels to Char Dham Yatra in 2006 included visiting the sacred Hindu pilgrimage of Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnat, and Badrinath. Her Indian adventure took her on a journey from the Himalayas to the very southern tip of India, in Kanyakumari.  Dipping into the holy mother Ganga and Yamuna rivers in Allahabad Kumbhamela 2007 and attending Haridwar Kumbhamela in  2010, at the world’s largest spiritual gathering where she was surrounded by thousands of Naga Babas (wandering monks/sadhus) was truly an experience beyond words. After being deeply touched by the ancient beauty of the holy cities of Varanasi, Mathura, Vrindavan, Rishikesh, Bodhgaya, Bhubaneswar, Konark, Kanchipuram, and Chidambaram her inner and outer journey continued.

Since 2006, she has devoted more of her time sharing her spiritual practices with her students in the Los Angeles area, as well as places around the world. Carmen has, and continues to teach workshops at yoga studios in the Los Angeles area that include Exhale, Yoga Works, Bhakti Yoga Shala, Inner Power Yoga, Agoura Power of Yoga, Yoga Loft, and Rising Lotus. Carmen has also spread the teachings internationally in Bulgaria, Slovenia and India.

A few of her most popular workshops she has offered in the past included Meditation for Busy People, Chakra Meditation, Happy Mind Healthy Body, OM Dance, Nourishing the Feminine, and OM Cooking-the art of healthy living based on Mediterranean and Ayurvedic cuisine. Carmen collaborated with the Kids-abloom organization, teaching classes that celebrate the uniqueness of each child, each parent, and the relationship they share.  She has conducted meditation classes at LVUSD schools, Bay Laurel Elementary and Calabasas High School, where she inspired teachers and students to embrace the path of meditation. Carmen’s work also includes teaching a meditative approach to pregnancy and childbirth.  Being a mother and a former kindergarten assistant teacher at Kirk O’the Valley School she understands the important role that mothers and educators have in society. She feels it is the children who grow up in a loving and nurturing environment that can actualize their full potential and live a life full of love and compassion.

Carmen is committed to her family and her community where she believes everyone is capable of making a contribution to the growth and well being of others as well as themselves.  She sees peace in her family as the basis for global peace. She divides her time between her family and teachings, always evolving to fit her student’s needs. Together with her partner Martin they have transformed their home into an inviting spiritual center, where like-minded people gather together in the pursuit of growth and truth. They have featured many educators, healers and authors from the field of personal growth and spiritual awareness in their home to share their expertise.  Some of those illustrious speakers include Sri Lankan Buddhist monk Venerable Master Shantha Sobhana, the Lama Rangbar from Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, Vedic priest Maharaj Aikyananda, world renowned psychic and visionary Marigold Monroe Sumerset, master teacher Alfonso de Rose,  reiki master Dr. Katie Kangarloo, author and yogini Laura Ammazzone, author and spiritual counselor Philip Goldberg, yoga teacher and therapist Rahi Santhanam, Buddhist teacher Rebecca Gauthier, multi-instrumentalist and bhakti yogi Gabriel Braun, and divine musician and reiki master teacher Stella Davies. By introducing these teachers to all who are interested, Carmen brings to light her belief that, “It is not just what we say but what we actually do that will bring a change within us, our children, our family, our society and our planet Earth.”

“Just as you need a mirror to see your face so you need the mirror of relationship to see your being. Love functions as a mirror, it shows you where you are, what you are, who you are.” -Osho

Martin and Carmen