Interior Enlightenment

I’m thrilled to offer a suite of holistic Interior Enlightenment services that include:

• Clutter Coaching
  
• Clutter Clearing Photography
• Feng Shui
• Reiki
• Mindfulness Meditation Instruction

All services can be stand-alone or part of an integrated, complementary package and can be delivered either in-person or remotely, utilizing a variety of user-friendly technology platforms, such as Skype, FaceTime, and Zoom.

Clutter Coaching

Imagine walking around your home, and every room you enter uplifts your energy and makes you feel good. Everything your eyes rest on either brings you joy or has true purpose. The energy in your home feels lighter and brighter. Your home and everything in it supports your vision of who you have become and are in the process of becoming. You and your home are in complete alignment!

Clutter clearing is much more than cleaning and organizing. It’s about understanding the energy in your home and how you interact with it. Clutter clearing can be a catalyst for positive transformation and clearing blockages in your life that drag you down and keep you from living the life you envision. My process is a deep one that incorporates guided “inner journeys“ and mindfulness practices that tap into your greater wisdom and help you to discover the emotional roots of your clutter so you can clear it at the very source. Releasing clutter is an opportunity to release the energetic patterns attached to it, making deep transformation possible.

In other words, it’s not just about the stuff. You clear your clutter by understanding what it represents. As you work through clearing the clutter in your home, you will hone your ability to discern what sparks joy and to make decisions and take action. The process generates momentum and can be very empowering!

Decluttering my home and sorting through the entire contents of my parents’ home after they passed away was a transformative journey, and now I’m passionate about empowering others to experience the alchemy of clutter clearing. Working in-person and/or remotely, I focus on the psychology of your clutter at the energetic level and regard clutter clearing as a sacred journey. I offer a variety of coaching modalities, including individual and group options and workshops that make use of whatever technologies you are comfortable with. Together, we will honor who you have been, acknowledge who you have become, and envision who you are in the process of becoming!

 

Why Work with a Certified Clutter Coach?

Do you have clutter you want to get rid of, but you don’t know how to start? Perhaps you’ve tried to declutter in the past but got stuck. Maybe you are an empty nester, have experienced some kind of loss or transition, are at a crossroads, or have moved into a smaller space, and your possessions reinforce old identities rather than who you have become and your vision of who you want to be.

Are you holding onto stuff you haven’t used in years because you “might” need it in the future – although deep down, you realize the likelihood of that is slim?

The truth is: If you don’t use it, need it, or love it, it’s probably clutter. 

You might even have a feeling that your real life and purpose is buried beneath your clutter, and if only you could get rid of the stuff that has outlived its usefulness, you’ll feel clearer and more focused about moving forward.

If any of this sounds familiar, rest assured that you are not alone! But it can be challenging to do it on your own and stay motivated, which is why it’s beneficial to work with a clutter coach.

If you’re having trouble releasing the clutter in your life, let’s get to the heart of it and understand what your clutter represents. Your stuff speaks volumes about your fears, grief, values, dreams, and regrets and holds answers that may lead to exciting transformations.

Creating spaciousness where there once was clutter makes room for new and wonderful possibilities to come into your life. I want to help you to declutter your home and your life and get rid of the baggage that bogs you down, so you will experience greater spaciousness, clarity, empowerment, and freedom.

During the clutter clearing process, you may encounter some tricky, sentimental types of clutter that could bring you to a standstill, including:

• inherited/ancestral clutter
• career clutter
• artistic clutter
• identity clutter
• bereavement clutter
• empty nest clutter.

I have experience working with all these categories and can help you get through the challenges you may encounter.

I won’t pressure you to get rid of anything you’re not ready to get rid of. But I will help you determine how your stuff affects your energy and whether it is holding you back. If you find yourself clinging to things you don’t use or love, I will guide you to explore some deeper questions, until you discover the root cause of the attachment. We can work together to transform your attachment to your stuff and the stories you’ve created about it and create empowering releasing rituals that honor all the relationships that are attached to your stuff.

As your clutter coach, I can help you to:

• create a structure and plan for your clutter clearing journey
• know where to begin and what to leave for last so it won’t slow you down
• find the pace that works best for you
• go on guided inner journeys to find out what your clutter represents
• keep going when you get stuck, lose momentum, or feel overwhelmed
• anchor the meaning and significance placed on an object to something more enduring
• create releasing ceremonies to let go of sentimental and inherited objects honorably
• figure out where/how to donate, sell, or get rid of your stuff
• release clutter in environmentally friendly ways
• photograph family and personal heirlooms, children’s art work, etc. before releasing them with love and gratitude
• journal about objects and their significance so you can keep the story but not the stuff
• integrate mindfulness into the clutter clearing process. 

 

My Clutter Coaching Services

I deliver clutter coaching in a variety of formats, including:

Clutter Clearing Workshops ($20/person)

• introductory (getting started, tips and strategies)
• specific aspects of decluttering
  • specific rooms/areas of the home
  • specific categories of clutter (supplies, artistic, paper, collections, etc.)
  • grief and clutter
  • decluttering with children
  • clutter clearing for empty nesters
• 8-Week Clutter Clearing Workshop Series ($150/person, large group discounts available)
  • one 90-minute group session per week
  • takes you step-by-step through the entire clutter clearing journey
  • guided "inner journeys" to discover what is at the heart of your clutter and what you want to make space for 
  • life assessment questionnaire, action plans, affirmations, and journal prompts to deepen your decluttering journey
  • group energy to help propel you through the process
• 8-Week Online Group Clutter Clearing Journey ($175)
  • private Facebook group for instruction, inspiration, sharing, ongoing support, and accountability
  • one hour of recorded video lessons per week
  • one live, interactive "office hour" per week
  • guided "inner journeys" to discover what is at the heart of your clutter and what you want to make space for 
  • downloadable life assessment questionnaire, action plans, affirmations, and journal prompts to deepen your decluttering journey
  • group energy to help propel you through the process
  • feng shui tips
• Private "Ultimate Clutter Coaching Journey" Monthly Package ($275/month)
  • one-on-one, in-depth coaching via phone, Skype/Zoom, FaceTime, and/or email
  • initial interview, assessment, and action plan
  • three 45-minute coaching calls per month
  • email summary of coaching call notes and action items
  • email support between calls to stay on-track
  • guided "inner journeys" to discover what is at the heart of your clutter and what you want to make space for 
  • weekly email check-in to share progress, successes, challenges, goals, and insights
  • access to recorded video lessons from the 8-week course
  • downloadable life assessment questionnaire, action plans, affirmations, and journal prompts to deepen your decluttering journey
  • distant Reiki to support your progress
  • personalized releasing ceremonies to help you let go of sentimental items
  • feng shui tips
  • follow-up check-in
• One-on-One, Distant Clutter Coaching ($60 per hour)
• One-on-One, In-Person Clutter Coaching ($80 per hour plus 60 cents/mile from 12871 zip code)

If you are ready and motivated to experience the alchemy of clutter clearing for yourself, let's begin a conversation! 

 

Clutter Clearing Photography Services

Some of my clients find that photographing sentimental objects makes it easier to release them. Others are interested in professional quality photos of items to sell online. As a professional photographer, it is my joy to provide you with images of personal or family heirlooms, children’s art work, your own art, or other collections you want to remember but don’t want to take up space in your home. We can discuss how to incorporate the images into beautiful photo albums and even personal or family memoirs that tell a compelling story.

Peter Menzel's coffee table book, Material World, made a big impression on me when I discovered it in the late 1990s. The book shows families from countries around the world photographed outside their homes surrounded by all their possessions and holding their most cherished ones. A person's favorite or most meaningful possessions are a window into understanding the person. I love photographing objects that are dear to someone in a way that conveys their significance, using simple backdrops or more artful, natural contexts.

Feng Shui Consultation

Feng shui is a system of working with energy that originated in China more than 4000 years ago. It incorporates the Five Elements theory and focuses on energy, or chi, flowing in alignment with abundance, health, and joy. Through feng shui, we work with the energy of your home to create a foundation that supports you to maximize your well-being in all areas of life and manifest your dreams and visions. 

A feng shui consultation can help you to:

• harmonize and balance the energy of your home
• stimulate the flow of abundance
• improve your relationships and well-being
• create a more supportive foundation for you and your family to thrive
• feel more relaxed and joyful in your home
• have greater clarity and focus with regard to your goals and pursuits
• shift to a more empowered story about your home and your life.

A feng shui consultation is a wonderful way to enhance the energy flow in your home and focus on specific areas of your home and life you'd like to improve. It's like acupuncture for the home. In feng shui, specific areas of the home are associated with certain areas of life. We will work together to remove energy blocks and set new intentions to create a home that truly supports your highest vision for your life. The best feng shui is to love the space you live and work in, whether you rent a small apartment or own a mansion. "Good feng shui" feels good, and that is the ultimate goal.

Feng shui is especially effective after decluttering and deepens the effects of your clutter clearing. (Clutter clearing is actually the first step of the feng shui process.) I provide feng shui consultations either in-person or remotely, utilizing whatever technology you are comfortable with (i.e. Skype, FaceTime, Zoom).

Prior to a session, you will need to fill out a questionnaire and provide me with your address and a floor plan of your home. For distant sessions, a photo of the front of your home and interior photos specific to any problem areas are also helpful. Distant sessions typically take less time than in-person sessions and allow us to really hone in on areas of concern.

During a session, we will explore your space and identify areas of concern. I will give you suggestions for improving those areas and will prioritize changes for you to make. In-person sessions might also include some space clearing. After the session, I will follow up with an email summary and am available to answer questions you may have.

If desired, I can guide you to create an integrated vision board to support goals addressed during feng shui work. My method of vision board work takes you out of your head and into your heart to hear the whispers of your inner being and draws upon all nine areas of life related to the feng shui bagua map. Your finished product is a supercharged vision board that holds the seeds of your deepest, most authentic dreams and visions and can serve as a powerful manifestation and motivational tool. 

My rate is $70/hour plus 60 cents/mile from 12871 zip code for in-person feng shui consultations and $60/hour for distant consultations.

Please contact me for more information about feng shui and space clearing services. 

      

Reiki Sessions

Reiki is an ancient, far Eastern relaxation technique, re-discovered in the early 1900s in Japan, which reduces stress and promotes healing by activating the relaxation response and helping the body to balance itself from a deep level. It is a natural, safe, non-intrusive system of energy healing that complements traditional and alternative medical therapies and psychological treatments to increase their effectiveness. It can provide physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits and is used to promote relaxation, relieve emotional and physical pain, gain clarity and insight, and support the body’s natural ability to heal itself.

Reiki recognizes that problems in the body and mind often result from being disconnected from our innate intelligence and natural capacity for healing. A Reiki practitioner establishes and holds the connection with subtle life force energy as you respond to it. A Reiki session helps you to activate your healing response, open up the energy pathways and dissolve blockages, and move towards greater balance and wholeness for optimum well-being.

Reiki can be used in hospice care to ease the patient’s physical and emotional suffering and to provide strength and healing for family and caregivers. I do not charge for hospice Reiki sessions. A Reiki session also can provide comfort during bereavement. 

A Reiki session takes place in a quiet environment with soft, meditative music. The receiver lays on their back fully dressed in comfortable clothing. A blanket and pillows for the head and knees are offered to keep you comfortable. The practitioner’s hands are placed in a series of positions, either lightly touching or hovering above your body, to help you to connect with the wisdom of the Universal life force energy for your highest good. All you need to do during a Reiki treatment is to relax and open yourself to the love and light energy that is coming through. You might even fall asleep, which is perfectly fine. You receive the benefits of Reiki whether you’re awake or asleep.

Reiki practitioners must be properly trained and undergo an attunement process in order to work effectively with Reiki energy. I've completed the highest level of Usui/Tibetan Reiki training and am certified as a Master Practitioner.

Reiki sessions can be done both in person and at a distance. There is opportunity after the session to discuss the experience if you’d like. My rates are:

• $75 for a standard session (60-75 minutes)
• $40 for a 30-minute "tune-up" session
• $65 for a distance session (40 minutes plus follow-up call)
• No charge for a hospice Reiki session 

Please contact me for more information or to schedule a Reiki session or purchase a gift certificate. 

Mindfulness Meditation Instruction

Mindfulness is a rich practice that builds awareness and compassion. It is a path of clarity, empowerment, self-compassion, peace, and deep realization that liberates you from the conditioned mind and the thoughts in your head. I love to think of mindfulness as putting space around your thoughts and feelings and experiencing a deeper, more inclusive presence in the here and now. Working with rather than struggling against whatever arises in your life and in your mind. Meeting it all with open, spacious awareness and a wise, compassionate heart. 

Many folks want to establish a meditation practice but don't know where to start. With nearly 30 years of experience and credentials in meditation and mindfulness that include developing curriculum and working with children, I can help you to weed through the vast resources that are available and develop a gratifying practice that suits your personality and lifestyle. 

We start by becoming clear about your intentions and aspirations for mindfulness practice before moving on to the specifics (How? Where? When? For how long?). Together, we develop a plan that includes support for when you run into obstacles that interfere with regular meditation practice. We will find what works best for you so you can experience the deep benefits of mindfulness no matter what your situation is.

I currently am working toward mindfulness meditation teacher certification with Jack Kornfield and Tara Brach. In March 2020, I'm offering a four-week Introductory Mindfulness Course at the Schuylerville Public Library. In addition, I am planning to run a drop-in walking meditation group locally during the summer.

Please contact me if you'd like to be on my mailing list to receive information about these and other upcoming opportunities, or for more information about mindfulness instruction for individuals and groups of adults or children.