Whidbey author offers guide to ‘energetic hygiene’
Published 1:30 am Friday, July 24, 2026
After 23 years as a life coach, Michelle Rae Woodward is sharing her spiritual approach to living a clearer, more grounded life in her debut book, “Clean Your Field: A Practical Guide to Energetic Hygiene for Modern Life.”
Woodward, a Clinton resident, said the “field” in the title refers to “the part of us that extends beyond us” that broadcasts our thoughts, physical sensations and the state of our nervous system. She believes people absorb the emotions and energies of others in that field, causing them to feel unlike themselves.
Woodward said “energetic hygiene” is the daily practice of keeping that field clear. Her book offers simple tools readers can use in everyday life.
Woodward said she wrote the book in part so that people who aren’t her clients can still have access to her teachings. But beyond that, she said she also needed the book for herself.
“I wrote this for myself, because as a highly sensitive person, I’m always feeling everything more intensely, and mostly before other people, and it’s not a weakness, it’s actually a strength,” she said. “But the systems and this world aren’t built to support that level of sensitivity, so I had to figure out some ways to work with that.”
Woodward recommends people pause, reflect on what feels off and decide whether it needs physical, mental, emotional or spiritual attention. Woodward emphasized that the practices she outlines in her book are simple and can be done anywhere at any time, such as while taking a shower or going for a walk. One practice she uses is holding morning dance parties during the winter to counter the effects of shorter, darker days.
“If I take one song, which is under three minutes, and I just shake, shake, shake and dance, dance, dance my frequency just goes boing, and that’s a great way to help me with all the mental drag that happens during the winter,” Woodward said.
Woodward said writing the book took about a decade. She began it while living in Woodinville, but self-doubt and the COVID-19 pandemic delayed its completion.
“Then, when I moved here, I was like, ‘oh, my book’s going to happen here’ because this place is magical, it’s begging for creative manifestation,” Woodward said.
Woodward believes Whidbey Islanders are especially likely to connect with the book because many are “seekers” who appreciate nature and want “to live a more peaceful, coherent, conscious lifestyle.”
“I hope they walk away feeling empowered to take care of their field, and that they don’t have to live with the same chronic emotional state or mental state,” she said.
Through the process of creating the book, Woodward said she discovered she has much more to say as a writer and is already planning future books.
“It’s just the beginning of a larger ecosystem,” she said.
Llynya’s in Freeland will host a book signing Aug. 1 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. More information is available at michelleraewoodward.com.
