Pilmaya People

Having trained as an Integration Psychotherapist as part of Pilamaya’s first-ever cohort — and holding the distinction of being the very first of those therapists to work with clients to bring a brand new model/framework to the world of psychotherapy — Emily has never, in truth, been too far from the centre of the Pilamaya constellation.

Some of us trained alongside her, some have practiced yoga with her as part of our Transpersonal Yoga teacher training and some of us will have met and been supported by Emily, 50, as one of her earliest clients.

Today, she has built a thriving psychotherapy practice around her beloved home at the foot of the Campsie Fells in the Scottish lowlands where she raises a large family, works with dogs and teaches yoga.

And from this month (April 2026), Emily steps into the key role of Community Liaison Administrator for both Pilamaya and IPS (Integration Psychotherapy Services).

In this role she will be supporting Pilamaya students in both a formal administrative role and also in a pastoral and learning capacity, monitoring student wellbeing and engagement, facilitating training workshops and offering feedback to students as they progress through the Pilamaya IP training and when they start their placement work with IPS clients.

In other words, you will — if you have not already — likely be meeting Emily soon since she is now the primary point of contact for Pilamaya students, past, present and future!

For Pilamaya-related business, you can contact her here: [email protected]

For more about Emily’s psychotherapeutic and other work, visit her own website here: Midwood Therapies

Read on to learn a little more about Emily — her deep love of her homeland of Scotland and of nature, her commitment to her family and clients and you will very quickly discover why she is such an asset to the Pilalmaya behind-scenes-team and why we are so thrilled to welcome her formally on board.

Emily was invited to be our first-ever (she is building quite the track record of first-ever!) guest on the new Pilamaya podcast and you will be able to hear her talking with co-hosts, Shaura and Susan, around the theme of Belonging when we publish episode 4 later this month.

One of the most powerful and commonly recurring wounds to come into the therapy room, Belonging and - by association - Not Belonging or Abandonment is a theme that asks us who or what do we keep out … just as much as … who or what do we keep in?

Make sure you sign up for the Pilamaya Podcast newsletter (link below) so you don’t miss this episode and in the meantime, here are some words Emily wrote to offer us her own reflections on theme of Belonging wherever we (presently) find ourselves.

by Emily Wallace

Belonging feels like it sits at the centre of being human. Whether it be belonging to place, within community, on land, within family systems, in time or to the self, it feels central to the core of our needs as humans.

It strikes me that when belonging is lost, we too can become lost. 

As events unfold in our lives and in the lives of those we hold dear, it can be necessary to withhold space from that which is difficult and painful. 

At some time however it seems necessary to give a place of belonging to all that has occurred within the stories of our life.

By acknowledging the existence of the whole human experience, by looking back where possible to the lives of our ancestors, we are able to fully take our place in the here and the now, offering a foundation of belonging for those yet to come.

🎧 The Pilamaya Podcast introduces the origin story of Pilamaya and its founder, Shaura Hall, along with more on the multi-dimensional framework that underpins its pioneering Integration Psychotherapy training.

What is your first memory of being in the earth dimension (what age?)

My earliest memory is of being beside a fire up in John O’Groats in the very north of Scotland. I was aged two and woke in the night and I can still remember Seonaid, who was a family friend, bringing me to sit beside the fire. I can still see that big fire and feel her warmth and comfort and love. I understand now that every fire I ever sit beside connects me to every fire I have ever been beside, including that first one. And when I think about my work as a psychotherapist now, I understand what I offer is a hearth point to sit beside — somewhere warm and steady and safe to do this important work together. It is important to offer people a warm welcome!

You were an only child and often lonely. How did Nature step in for you?

As a child, there was this tree which, for the longest time, I thought was a weeping willow but which turned out to be an ancient yew. I would lie across it and feel connected to something so much bigger than me so you could say nature held me in a way that connected me and paved the way for my own spiritual journey.  

Part of that spiritual journey was becoming a Yoga teacher. How did you find your way to that?

I was a very young mum. I have four children, and my eldest is now 29. So I was pregnant with my second child, a son, when I started doing an old yoga DVD my mum gave me. I went on to have two more children and then found a local class for beginners in the village hall. I practiced yoga for 15 years before thinking about training as a teacher.

It was my beloved Gran, Mary, who encouraged me to do that teacher training. Not only that, she gave me the money to do it. She used to call it my ‘yogi.’ Sadly she died before the course started but it felt like part of her legacy the fact I did that training. And when I taught my first chair yoga class for some older students, I felt like I was giving something back— and I remember thinking I wish she was here so she could be part of this class.

You have often worked with older people, how is that so inspiring for you?

I’ve done lots of jobs from working in the drugs field for years to working in a famous paper shop in Glasgow’s West End before we moved out to the countryside but there was one older woman who came to my yoga class and who really changed my life. Her name was Mary too. She was a former vet and mountaineer and she was 92 when she started coming to my yoga classes! It was as if we had always known each other. She really saw me and believed in me. She saw something in me that I didn’t know was there. She saw I was able to do more than I was doing, and hold people in a way I wasn’t holding them yet because I was in a limited container. She could see I was too big for that container I’d put myself in!

I think she taught me the meaning of one of the Seven Sacred Values: Live with the power!

She loves me and I love her.

How did you find your way to Pilamaya and Shaura Hall?

One of my teachers invited Shaura to come and do some training and when I saw her I knew my life was about to change but that didn't make me feel happy. I made sure I sat by the door and honestly, I wanted to run for the hills. They started all this sharing and when it came to my turn I said, “Hi, I’m Emily and I’m looking for the exits!” Shaura simply replied, “OK, so you’re holding fear for the room.” After that she made me come and sit at the front — every module!

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