Samhain or All Hollow’s Eve is an ancient festival of the northern Gaelic islands. It’s a celebration meant to honour the beginning of winter when the demarcation between this world the other is thinned. On this day the Aos Si (the Fairies! as they say) travel more easily into our world and we must disguise ourselves or risk being taken by them!

And so... to celebrate this day and these celestial beings, we present our friend and fellow Canadian, an Irish born lass, Emma O’Neill. She’s a lady who’s quite touched by the gifts that come from a long lineage of Pagan Irish Women. We explore what it means to have these psychic instincts and how they relate to what we call gut-instinct or or a tingling of intuition.

We also explored the transitions we make between this world and that, between Canada and the far east, her late transition from the closet to out, which she hilariously describes in detail, her mother and sisters simply responding… “Why are you eating chicken? You said you were vegetarian. Pass the potatoes, would you.”

Emma O’Neill is a voice actor who in her own words, “was born and placed on stage.”

She’s also a Mala-Magician, a true artist with beads, imbuing them with her Witchy Irish intuition and Sanskrit incantations to enhance the sacred stone properties. This artistic work, in addition to her yoga practice, keeps her connected to the earth through deep listening and awakens a healing energy.

The iconic Ashtanga legend, Nancy Gilgoff (another Wonderful Witchy Women) along with someone who turned out to be a kind of natural sister, Vanessa Gilgoff (Nancy’s daughter) were a significant influences for Emma on her spiritual path when she first met them in Goa, India. It was Nancy who told her to go to Mysore to meet Pattabhi Jois. Nancy connected with her on a deep heart level, and for Emma she will always be her “yoga mom.”

In this episode, you will also hear Russell and Emma reconnect on a shared time in Taiwan, where they spent many years working at Space and Pure Yoga in Asia, during a unique period in our history, that was quite unlike yoga at any other place or time before or after. Luxurious. Abundant. Extraordinary.

You can find Emma teaching Ashtanga Yoga Mysore Classes in Toronto, Canada.

Mysore Toronto’s classes run every Saturday at 7am (last Saturday of the month is Led Primary at 7:30am).

ALL CLASSES ARE AVAILABLE ON ZOOM.

For custom Mala design contact Emma directly.

For voice bookings email Emma here.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT EMMA

MALAS I MALAS BY EMMA IG I YOGA I MYSORE TORONTO IG I VOICE I PERSONAL IG I YOUTUBE

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The Finding Harmony Podcast is hosted, edited and produced by Harmony Slater and co-hosted by Russell Case.

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Opening and closing music compliments of my dear friend teaching Ashtanga yoga in Eindhoven, Nick Evans, with his band “dawnSong” from the album “for Morgan.”

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