Our Teachers
Founding Teacher
Carmen Teo (she/her) (Dr.) is the founding teacher of Transform Heartminds, the first initiative in Asia – the birthplace of mindfulness, to integrate ancient wisdom with modern applications. She has practiced yoga since 2004 and discovered mindfulness meditation in 2007 as a graduate student in the US. Having lived through job burnout, depression, health crisis, and existential crisis in her young adult life, she found her life transformed in bittersweet ways through self-inquiry and exploring the wisdom traditions of Yoga and Buddhism. Carmen's root practice is in the Theravada Thai Forest tradition of Ajahn Chah and the Mahasi method, with Patrick Kearney as her primary Dharma teacher. A dedicated meditator, she has attended more than 20 silent retreats.
Carmen is a pioneer of non-sectarian mindfulness in Singapore since 2015. Today, she is a Senior Mindfulness Teacher (based on International Guidelines, Kenny et al, 2020), MBSR Teacher Mentor (with UC San Diego Center for Mindfulness), and a Trauma-Sensitive Mindfulness and Yoga Practitioner. She is amongst the first fully certified Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and the first Certified Mindful Self-Compassion (MSC) teacher in Singapore. She is trained in various other mindfulness formats, including with the Oxford Mindfulness Foundation, Mindfulness in Schools Project (MiSP), and Mindfulness Network UK. She is also a mindfulness mentor trained with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach.
Additionally, Carmen is an Experienced Yoga Teacher (E-RYT 500) with Yoga Alliance, holding certifications in Hatha, Kids, Yin, and Yoga Therapy, and has practiced in the traditions of Vivekananda, Sivananda, and Iyengar, including residential stays in yoga ashrams. She is a Certified Facilitator of Trauma Center Trauma-Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY).
Prior to being a mindfulness and compassion teacher/mentor, Carmen spent fifteen years in corporate in the areas of consulting, strategy, revenue management and marketing in various leadership positions. Her versatile background has enabled her to deliver trainings to a variety of populations in universities, social welfare agencies, public schools, corporations, healthcare system, criminal justice system, and government agencies. Since 2015, she has delivered mindfulness talks and workshops to thousands, and journeyed with hundreds in longer multi-week mindfulness programs. In addition, she also trains and mentors in-house mindfulness facilitators in organizations.
Carmen holds a Bachelor's degree from NUS Business School, a Master's degree from Cornell University (Singapore Government Scholarship), and an Education Doctorate from NTU-NIE. Her research and teaching practice works have been presented at the International Conference of Mindfulness (ICM) and GNH Education Symposium in Bhutan.
Despite having privileged access to education which she is immensely grateful for, she does not see paper qualifications as important as compared to the impact we make in other peoples’ lives, as she counts Mother Teresa and Nelson Mandela amongst the many people who inspire her in her life. True education should be education of both the mind and the heart; it is a lifelong journey beyond the confines of a classroom.
Carmen was born and raised in Singapore and had lived in New York, Florida and Cambodia at some points in her life. She enjoys nature, travelling and living without technological devices whenever possible.
View Carmen's LinkedIn Profile, and personal website.
Carmen Teo, EdD
Guest Teachers