Heal Your Living : The Joy of Mindfulness, Sustainabili… (2024)

I really enjoyed reading about this philosophy, and look forward to working through all the exercises.

When I first discovered Youheum Son's YouTube channel, I was wildly intrigued by her extreme minimalist lifestyle. Between Son's content and Undine Almani's book review (on her YouTube channel of the same name), I had a basic understanding of what to expect from Heal Your Living (the book).

This is a beautiful book, a labor of love... however, I could not fully focus and dive into the book as I had hoped, which was my experience with Paola Merrill's The Cottage Fairy Companion.

Son's book is very much "her" and what her channel used to be. There is so much great material here for minimalism, intentional living, etc. For me, it was a tad too focused on spirituality and too "woo-woo" (for lack of a better term).

I ended up reading this because the publisher (Parallax Press) sent me an email promoting it and it was instantly available from the library. Also, adding mindfulness, sustainability, minimalism (can you “add” minimalism?), and wellness to my life seems like a positive thing…

So I went into this knowing very little about the book and even less about the author, who seems to be a semi-celebrity online (she runs a YouTube channel, podcasts, etc. to the extent that I believe it’s how she makes a living). It starts with her story which is that kind of I-did-it-so-you-can do-it-too intro leading readers to a series of best practices she’s learned and passionate to share about the four topics in the title. It might be better to think of this as a kind of workbook as each topic follows a similar format—summary definition, how to incorporate it into your life or make changes, questions or homework to get better insight into your own feelings/behavior, tips, and then “challenges” which range from 7 days to 30 (ostensibly, to develop and cement some of these habits in a practical guided fashion). Since I borrowed it from the library, I can’t really use it the way it’s intended or at the pace one would apply it were one dedicated to doing so (I’m not, and that’s no ill reflection on the book itself).

So, quite practical tips, incredibly supportive tone, and constant reminders to be patient and kind to yourself. But this really felt directed at a specific demographic, and I say demographic because it feels marketed almost (edging on “influencer” culture with an almost magazine feel to it: sections asking you to score yourself almost like the quizzes they used to have in Cosmo, highly stylized photos of the author looking peaceful or in minimalist interiors, etc.). Single females in the middle- to upper-middle/wealthy class is who I felt it was directed (e.g., I don’t have a skincare routine and I live with other people). I tend to bristle at the word “lifestyle” because it increasingly seems to refer to a set of ideals and products someone is trying to get you to buy. To be fair to Son, she doesn’t shill a single product, nor even provide links to her online platforms in this book.

It’s incredibly self-oriented with mentions about connecting and doing for others somewhat spartan and feeling like an afterthought. But its point is that you need to heal your own living first. I guess I’m still left feeling like a very positive message using all the right words somehow came off as superficial almost like an infomercial. Except the only thing I was being “sold” was a more balanced life and healthier habits.

I really should have saved you some time and just wrote: I don’t like workbooks. If you don’t like workbooks, watch Son’s YouTube channel instead.

This is a beautiful book with lots of white space and calming photos. With that said, this is a workbook, and I didn't really connect with the checklists and journaling prompts. I did enjoy the rest of the book and found it to be an inspiration to change my daily habits.

I received an ARC.

Not a whole lot of new information for me in this book but I’m happy to see this becoming more commonplace.

Years ago, I was a subscriber to the lovely magazine Real Simple, which reminds me of this book. Clean spacious margins. Soft lush photos. Gentle text. Insightful and thoughtful lists.

Each section is presented with a mindful tone, perfect for anyone who is hardest on themselves and in need of encouraging words instead of strict rules.

The mindfulness section was my favorite, but each part has something unique and apt to offer. Best of all, you can accept and use any bits of wisdom offered, or choose a different path.

The book concludes with a mindfulness section, perfect for those of any faith (or none at all) that I found to be the ideal ending to an exquisite little book.

It's not too long, and each section offers breaks, activities, and lists to help along the way.

In many personal ways, the book draws me back to Thoreau's Walden and Peter Wohlleben's Heartbeat of Trees. The gentle, restful encouragement and inspiration is just my speed.

This is most definitely a book I'll come back to again and again.

Mindful Rest: "Let's give ourselves the gift of rest and relaxation for the work and practice we have been building. Doing nothing is part of our practice of letting go and healing." (139)

This book doesn't break any new ground, as far as minimalism and mindfulness are concerned. The author shares some practical tips that will be familiar to anyone who has read books like this before, and she shares lots of New Age assumptions as fact, without explaining the concepts or supporting why she believes that they're true. This book is dense with pseudo-religious jargon, and I had to work to mentally translate words and phrases that are meaningless to anyone outside New Age wellness circles.

The author means well, and she shows genuine concern for others' well-being without trying to sell her personal brand or hawk products, which I appreciate. However, I mostly skimmed this, since it is more philosophical than practical and emphasizes lots of philosophy that I deeply disagree with. This book is mainly valuable as a self-reflective tool, since each chapter includes series of open-ended, thoughtful questions that people can ask themselves on a variety of important topics.

I would recommend this book to people who are fans of the author, or who would appreciate the guided reflections to help them grow in self-knowledge and consider ways that they can improve their lives. If someone is mainly looking for practical tips, they would be better off pursuing a different book.

The topics in this book are right up my alley but the book just didn't do it for me. There was some good info but it was very much for a complete and total beginner. A beginner who really likes journaling... Because 75% of the book seemed to be journal prompts and that's just not it for me.

Lots of great information

Overall enjoyed this book and the guides to becoming more mindful and to practice better sustainability.

Deducted one star because there were like 8 pictures of her feet in this book and, girl, unnecessary.

This is a very inspiring book! I liked her helpful and practical trips for peace