We recently connected with Megs Emerson and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Megs, really happy you were able to join us today and we’re looking forward to sharing your story and insights with our readers. Let’s start with the heart of it all – purpose. How did you find your purpose?
I believe finding our purpose begins by taking our biggest challenge and making something of it once you have had time to process, heal and recover.
In 2012 I had a whitewater rafting incident while on the Zambezi river; I was knocked from the boat and couldn’t get up to the surface of the water. I was helpless to the torrent of the water until it spit me up for just long enough to gasp for air before being sucked back down. This experience created the biggest trauma imprint that changed the direction of my life forever.
I knew I wasn’t okay because I was scared all the time. I was scared of my family getting hurt, I was scared of loosing control and eventually, I did. I had my first panic attack in 2013 while trying to book a particularly challenging person into a hotel stay. As she was yelling at me about the amount of tax she had to pay I could feel my heart begin to skip beats, I was breaking out into a cold sweat and I felt dizzy. I thought I was having a heart attack.
That was my big wake up call, I needed to do something that fulfilled me, nourished me and fed by soul. This entire experience led me to explore my yoga teacher training and eventually down the path of trauma informed yoga/meditation for folks suffering from anxiety, addiction and traumatic brain injuries.
I found so much purpose in community and empowering others with the tools that changed my life and helped me to feel better.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
My connection and work in energy can be traced through my matrilineal lineage.
My mother is a clairvoyant, my aunt a Reiki Master & Tarot reader, my grandmother was a clairsentience who read for her neighbourhood via a regular playing deck of cards and it can be traced back further than that.
Growing up, I didn’t know much about our family ties to the “other world” but was always a very highly sensitive kiddo and was very open. My mother did an amazing job at allowing me to come into my own very naturally and at my own pace, although she always knew that it would it happen.
Today I work with folks who are looking to release past trauma and/or align to something they desire in the future. This comes in many different forms including holding sacred death ceremonies, shadow work, reiki, yoga retreats and breath work sessions.
When I’m not working with clients, you can find me in our little cottage in the forest with our 2 dogs, toddler son and husband.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Becoming trauma-informed and staying committed to that path is something I believe in very strongly. When we’re working with folks who are vulnerable (emotionally or energetically) we have a responsibility to create the safest container for them that we possibly can. Even if you don’t intend to work with folks around their trauma, it always comes up, so it’s not a question of if but rather, when.
I also feel that taking the struggles, challenges or things you’ve overcome in your life and offering solutions to others who are going through what you did is so important. Doing this creates a depth of understanding, sympathy and compassion that cannot be taught. It gives you a unique perspective and creates a deeper sense of trust with your client.
Remain humble and open. I am always learning from my clients, every session I hold is different and offers me something to be taken away and improved upon or deepened in some way. Live from a student first, teacher second mentality and you will be blessed with so many opportunities to better yourself.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
I am always open to collaborations! I love being apart of networks of like minded facilitators and believe strongly that there should not be a territorial vibe around clients.
In a collaboration setting I’m looking for folks who are also trauma-informed, committed to inclusivity, believe in a rounded approach to healing (no all or nothing’s) and who are fun, light hearted people.
Folks can reach me through my instagram at @megs_emerson or email me at [email protected]
Contact Info:
- Website: www.loveyoga.ca
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megs_emerson/
Image Credits
Danielle Arnold Photography Rachel Lauren Photography
