Joy of Life
Upon hearing the sacred qualities in Zen Breakfast, it comes as  no surprise that Karunesh's natural talent for musical expression was  initially nurtured in a spiritual environment.  The music of Zen Breakfast  draws upon sounds from ancient spiritual and religious traditions in ways  that speak to the deep-felt longing in each of us for spiritual connection.    It was during five years that Karunesh lived in an ashram in Germany that  he had the opportunity to learn from and play together with musicians from  cultures around the world.  Music was a vital part of the mystical  experience being pursued and where Karunesh (Sanskrit for "compassion")  says he developed the ability to weave different styles and feelings  together into a living symbiosis - a symbiosis carried by his own very  unique and personal "melodies from the heart."Karunesh was born in 1956 in Cologne, Germany.  Although he had been drawn  to music as a child and played in bands as a teen, he chose to study  graphic design as a career.  After attaining his degree, the path did not  feel right for him and as sometimes happens to prompt us of a critical need  for a change in direction, Karunesh was involved in a serious motorcycle  accident.   For two weeks, he was suspended between life and death, and  this experience sparked the beginning of his spiritual path.  In 1979 he  made his first journey to India and began to follow his heart.In 1984 Karunesh released his first album "Sounds of the Heart," an album  that quickly became a classic in the new age genre.   More albums followed.   With 450,000 albums sold to date, Karunesh has become established as one  of the best-known artists in the genre.Karunesh has lived in Maui, Hawaii, since 1992, bathed in the healing  warmth and fragrances of the tropics.  From this island's feminine embrace,  he creates music that holds a beautiful, sacred and healing resonance for  those who listen.   It was over breakfast one morning in Maui that company president Terence  Yallop, with his background of Taoist philosophy and t'ai chi, and  Karunesh, musician, sat down to talk about their hopes and dreams.  From  this meeting their creative collaboration was formed and Zen Breakfast  conceived. Nirvana CafÃ©, Karunesh's second album for Real Music and  another tasty sonic treat, released in 2002 and Call of the Mystic was  released in 2005.   All 3 albums have achieved top positions on Billboard's  New Age Chart.