Routines & Rituals with Carly Farmer
Routines & Rituals is our series that sees us interview some of the dewiest, earthiest, and loveliest ladies and gents on their — yep, you guessed it — routines and rituals. Self-care has become a giant buzzword of late, but (as much as the wellness world would like us to believe) there is no one-size-fits-all approach to beauty and healing. This month, we chatted with Carly Farmer, the founder of mind, body, and spirit studio, Amor Fati, and got her beautiful perspective on adding more rituals and routines into life.
Q. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself and Studio Amor Fati?
I was born and raised in Newport Beach and opened my first pilates and yoga studio when I was 23 years old. I sold it three years ago and opened my second mind, body, and spirit studio in my dream town of Los Olivos. Creating and nourishing studios is so grounding for me. I am such an idealist and it’s a really powerful way for me to express and serve. I teach pilates, am obsessed with yoga, and am a certified health coach (although I hate the name and never tell anyone this). I’m also a secret student of the stars and am completely guided by my many passions. I allow my work and my feelings to transform me and it’s been such a rich and colorful journey. Amor fati translates to ‘love your fate’, which is in fact your life. Los Olivos has such magical air and it really feels like fate brought me here. I’m so happy to be here and have the opportunity to create a studio all over again.“I love this term ~ Amor Fati ~ ‘love of fate.’ Instead of bemoaning your fate ~ and sometimes our fates are terrible ~ we love our fate, Amor Fati. It’s a way of being grateful. I’m going to love what happened to me because I trust it’s here to remove a veil. I’m going to search for what’s happening to me in this time so I can take away yet another misconception.” ~Elizabeth Lesser
Q. Do you have a consistent AM/PM practice?
I’m such a better version of myself when I allow myself to wake up naturally. It’s so powerful for women to sleep in and wrap ourselves in our dreams. Some mornings, I’ll put some gentle music on while I am still lying in bed, it helps me digest the downloads from my evening and my dreams and soften into my desires, thoughts, and feelings. When I feel ready, I get up and make coffee and head over to my computer to research whatever I’m currently drawn to and write notes in my journal. No one is allowed to read my journals! They are hilarious, but so necessary. I have Mars conjunct my Moon in the third house ~ I literally have so much power and intensity behind my feelings and being in the house of communication ~ I have to express! It’s something I have been working on my whole life ~ constructive communication. Anyways, mornings are so sensitive and sacred ~ I refrain from texting or emailing during my morning time. I like to fill my brain with inspiration and creativity and keep my central nervous system soft and open. I save my business hat for the middle of the day ~ and trust me, I put it on and have no problem being a business boss.I think it’s super important to transition into the evening. In my dreams, I’d take an early evening gentle and fluid yoga class. My life doesn’t allow that right now, so right now I find that I light a candle, pour a glass of wine, put on my music, and cook. Cooking can be so therapeutic and it’s a beautiful way to access the spirit world and process the day so I can melt into the night. Sometimes I’ll take a bath and I’ll always luxuriate in all my new Shiva Rose beauty products and oils.
Q. How does nature play into your routine?
I feel so connected to the stars and all the elements of nature: fire, earth, water and air. I don’t wake up with the sun or go to sleep with the moon, but I feel the messages of the wind, the intensity of the fires, the emotional release of the rains and the power in the support of the earth. I also can feel when Uranus, the God of Lightning, is making waves. I have been up since 4 am because of this fiery Aries Full Moon! I could go on, but I’ll stop there.
Q. What about rituals? Are there certain moments you take that have heightened significance?
Everything is ritual and everything is sacred. I think it’s so important to sit down in silence for morning coffee, express thanks and gratitude during meals, soften and allow a glass of wine to reveal our feelings and desires. I also love to visit the spa once a week and meditate and release in the steam, jacuzzi, and sauna. Anything to calm and soften my central nervous system. It’s not until then that I can connect and deepen...and that’s what rituals are for me. They are here to transform us and open the doors to intimacy.
Q. How and why are they meaningful to you?
Because everything has to mean something. Life is so magical. I’m not here to let life pass me by. I am here to be intentional and for life to feel sensational.
Q. What advice would you give to someone looking to add more ritual into their life? Be they movement based or otherwise.
Relax and focus on nourishing yourself. Let beauty and sensuality and desire be your guide. Slow down and be present. Create the life of your dreams, do the things that light you up, and be around the people that make you feel settled, inspired, seen, and soft. Treating every moment of your life as a ritual can absolutely change your life.Born a dancer, Carly Farmer completed a STOTT pilates certification and Yogaworks 200 Hour Teacher Training. By the age of 23, she had opened her first pilates and yoga studio in Newport Beach, CA. She is also a holistic health coach and studied at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and in 2020, Carly opened her second private pilates studio ~ Studio Amor Fati in Los Olivos. Carly has led and hosted numerous retreats, workshops, and wellness series across the globe, and is devoted to studying, embodying, and examining the connection between the mind, body, and spirit. She has a soft and gentle approach, but is precise and strong in her intentions. She believes that we are all unique individuals made up of a combination of art and science, with a strong baseline of love.
