Welcome

Welcome to my practice! For my first blog post, I'd like to introduce myself:

I am currently a Reiki II practitioner and an artist (improvisational/intuitive dancer, singer, and gardener) who has been living in Saratoga Springs and the surrounding area since 1980. In my previous professional career, I coordinated a statewide advocacy project for the NYS Department of Health followed by a position as the director of the Saratoga Springs Heritage Area under the mayor's office. The focus of these areas of my career was on building community around health/well-being, culture, and history in the City of Saratoga Springs and statewide. While in these roles, I developed health problems that pushed me into seeking complementary health care to address issues traditional avenues could not treat. I have received important and powerful care from a variety of complementary and integrative practitioners on my journey, including many years of different types of energy work.

I first learned about Reiki from a massage therapist I had seen over 30 years ago who essentially introduced Reiki to this area. I have since seen other Reiki practitioners, including at the Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, NY, and felt significant energy shifts and restorative benefits. At Omega, I sought out a Reiki practitioner because I felt exhausted and drained from my work life. While receiving the treatment, I literally felt the heat of the Reiki energy pouring very deep inside of my being, quenching a profound thirst for nourishment and soothing. Afterwards, I had to lie down for quite a while to rest and allow the energy work to process. I had been so tired from life that I needed to be still and do nothing. Later that day, my empty energy tank began refilling, feeling gently restored and more energized. The effects of Reiki were profound and reassuring.

After 15 years of energy work with a practitioner who did not practice Reiki but had a profound impact on my healing process, I realized I wanted to feel more empowered in my relationship to energy and healing and sought out Level I training in Reiki. Since my initial training, I wondered if perhaps I could provide Reiki to friends and family and others in the community in the future. I became very curious about the impact of Reiki and its benefits, especially as I shared Reiki with volunteers in my Level II training, during Reiki shares with other Reiki practitioners, and with volunteers in the community. People expressed great appreciation for the grounding, relaxing, and healing impact Reiki had on them. I also witnessed the impact of Reiki in real time. For example, one recipient had significant energy release from a traumatized area in their body where energy had been stored years prior.

I decided to offer Reiki as a professional practitioner because I have been very moved and grateful to witness the profound and varied impact Reiki treatment has on a recipient. I also love that I have my role in creating a nurturing environment and providing myself as a conduit through which a person receives Reiki, but I am not in charge of where this highly intelligent and gently powerful Reiki energy travels in the body's system and what it treats; there is a much greater and benevolent force that is responsible for that. I am in service and a witness; it is a true gift for me to be part of someone else's healing experience.

As a potential or current client, I hope you feel welcome, safe, and cared for in your relationship with me, from the first time we communicate through text or email, throughout your Reiki treatment experience, and in our conversation after your session. By drawing your attention to the beauty and power of Reiki (Universal Energy) in your treatment and in everyday life, to my empathy and compassion for you, and to the smaller detailed questions I ask about your needs and comfort, my intention is to be in service to what is best and for the highest good for you. I hope your experience with me as a Reiki practitioner provides a nourishing respite from the many challenges and daily stresses that require a lot of your energy, attention, and effort as a woman navigating the world. Your time with me will be an opportunity to let those "doing" and "worrying" concerns go and be open to receiving the care and comfort you need that will restore you to a more centered and calmer place, and to gently come back home to yourself.

My intention in launching a blog section on my website is to share my thoughts, observations, and discoveries on my journey as a Reiki II practitioner and provide helpful information that complements your treatment experience. I also hope to build a meaningful and sustained relationship with you over time through a variety of avenues and connections. Thank you for carving out the time to read what I have shared. Please feel free to reach out to me with comments and questions. I would love to continue the conversation.