#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • “An empathetic and wise book that will guide you on a journey toward a deeper understanding of self.”—Nedra Glover Tawwab, LCSW, New York Times bestselling author of Set Boundaries, Find Peace
A radically compassionate plan for turning inward and lifting the heaviness that prevents us from healing ourselves and the world, from the New York Times bestselling author of Clarity & Connection
“During the years when I had abandoned myself, my mind felt undeniably heavy. I knew I needed to find a clear way to help me feel lighter.”
yung pueblo’s path to deep healing began only after years of drug abuse had taken a toll on his mind and body. Searching for a way forward, he found that by honestly examining and addressing the anxieties and fears that he had been running away from, he no longer felt like a stranger inside of his heart and mind. And once he dedicated himself to meditation and trusting his intuition, he started to finally feel mentally lighter, with more love emerging from within. This was not an easy journey, and it's one that he is still on, but it showed him that real healing is possible.
In Lighter , yung pueblo demonstrates how we can all move forward in our healing, from learning self-compassion to letting go to becoming emotionally mature. As the heaviness falls away, our minds will finally stop feeling overburdened with tension and we’ll be able to reconnect with the present. And the world around us will hopefully become more inviting in crisp and newly vibrant ways. But these are just the first steps. As we grow stronger and expand our self-awareness, it’s our responsibility—and also part of the healing journey—to take actions to support the health and harmony of all people. The final section of Lighter shows how we can and must contribute to building a world that is no longer structurally harmful but, instead, structurally compassionate.
yung pueblo’s hope is that as more of us heal, our actions will become more intentional, our decisions will become more compassionate, our thinking will become clearer, and the future will become brighter.
Diego Perez is a meditator, writer, and speaker who is widely known on Instagram and various social media networks through his pen name Yung Pueblo. The name yung pueblo means “young people.” it serves to remind him of his Ecuadorian roots, his experiences in activism, and that the collective of humanity is in the midst of important growth. his favorite word, liberation, took on a deeper meaning once he started meditating vipassana. through writing and speaking, he aims to support the healing of the individual, realizing that when we release our personal burdens, we contribute to a global peace.
This was quite a heavy book to read given a few of the circumstances that I've been healing from but necessary.
Most of the book was written in a way that you can relate back to yourself.
One thing that I didn't like was the repetitive nature of the sentences, they were just rephrased into the various chapters. I skimmed through especially towards the end.
Still a good read, there are enough takeaways to consider it so.
3,8 Bardzo wiele cytatów sobie pozaznaczalam, jedynie końcówka mnie nie interesowała tzn dwa ostatnie rozdziały, a tak… ksiazka na pewno bardzo ważna i potrzebna. ❤️
„Reagujemy nie na to, co myślimy, ale na to, co czujemy.”
„Ocean życia będzie nami miotał, dopóki nie postawimy żagli i nie przepłyniemy przez fale, które próbują nas powstrzymać.”
#lighter to chyba pierwsza książka z gatunku poradników, po którą bardzo chciałam sięgnąć i która mnie od siebie nie odtrąciła szufladkowaniem czy wrzucaniem wszystkich uczuć pod jedno dyktando, a wręcz przeciwnie - dała mi wczoraj ogromnego liścia w twarz, swoimi słowami. Przerywałam lekturę i myślałam o sobie, jak i swoich relacjach, o tym jak nieświadomie wiele rzeczy wprowadzam w labirynt problemów i nieporozumień, myśląc, że robię wszystko nie tak, a czasem wystarczy… po prostu zrozumieć, że to też jest po coś, pójść krótszą drogą i posłuchać siebie nawzajem.
Autor odkrył swoją drogę do zrozumienia siebie i „uzdrowienia”, i postanowił przełożyć to na książkę, by każdy czytelnik na swój sposób mógł zrozumieć jakie to ważne i by sam zaczął nad tym pracować. Na końcu każdego rozdziału, zamieścił kilka pytań do czytelników, zatytułowanych „czas na refleksję”, które odnoszą się konkretnie do tematu rozdziału - już samo to jest supi początkiem, by przystanąć i pomyśleć.
Dla mnie jedynym minusikiem była końcówka, która mniej mnie wciągnęła, bo mówiła bardziej o wpływach społeczeństwa i skupiała się na otaczającym świecie, aleee! niemniej te niecałe trzysta stron, to skarbnica ważnych słów, o których powinniśmy wszyscy pamiętać. Świat byłby wtedy o niebo prostszy w komunikacji i sami bylibyśmy do siebie i innych dużo łaskawsi.
Lighter was a joy to read and reflect upon. I have spent years working on healing from past trauma. The author writes from experience and with love. There are a lot of deep meaningful quotes to reflect upon which I quite enjoyed. I also appreciated his recognition that you can be past your pain and sorrow seep back through. Its how you handle those moments that reflect your growth and healing. The key point I took away is the process of harmony is it requires work. You get out what you put in. No matter if your journey is through therapy, meditation, nature Lighter is a kind read to help you keep moving forward making progress and finding your peace.
A++++ I will be asking everyone I know to read this! I believe this should be required reading for Middle School on up. It provides so much enlightenment. I was tuned into some of these already but this piece just provides that and so much more! Excellent!!!!! Also a great gift idea 💡
Got about 75% through this one and decided to DNF. There are some great standout quotes (similar to his IG page and poetry, which I’m a huge fan of) but it’s far too repetitive and long winded. I honestly didn’t understand what I was reading half the time.
An enlightening, cathartic book providing accessible insight into personal healing and positive change.
Pueblo focuses on the emphasis of turning your attention inward as a method of healing and creating lasting, authentic and positive long-term change. Confronting ones own mindset and defaults of character is unnerving and requires rigorous honesty. Yet when done thoroughly it reveals the extent to which we project our faults and mistakes onto other people or things. Ultimately, only we are responsible for our own change and growth: 'Deep healing and emotional maturity begin when you turn your attention inward'.
Pueblo's account is authentic and accessible. His passages on 'Radical Honesty' are relatable, which he affirms as the root from which all self-awareness grows. Equally, his ideas on letting go are particularly intriguing and demonstrate the idea that the art of letting go is essentially a profound acceptance of the present moment.
Through understanding and accepting the impermanence of life, we relinquish our hold on how we wish things to be, and accept how they really are. It is about training ourselves to set aside the emotional baggage we carry, so that we are 'informed by the past, but no longer weighed down by it'.
He also places particular emphasis on the importance of renouncing the submissive belief that we do not have power over our mental situation, when in fact we all have the potential for peace of mind through intentional action. Through our 'attachments', we jeopardise that potential because we attempt to control reality, meaning we never live in the present by constantly imagining what is missing or how we wish things to be. This is dangerous as it is a rejection of how things really are.
It also sheds fascinating light on the extent to which our minds are so heavily conditioned based on our past. The brain unconciously bends our perception of reality to meet our expectations or desires, and fills in the gaps based on past experiences: 'Our perception is completely coloured by our past and our reactions seek to repeat themselves endlessly'.
Therefore, if we have built up repetitive cycles such as negativity, anger, impatience, cravings or overthinking, we are only solidifying such patterns and enhancing tension. Our brains will continue to react in these ways unless intentionally retrained through strengthening and cultivation, and one way of doing this is through training our minds to observe, as opposed to merely reacting.
It is about reaching the point where we recognise what has caused us to react in the above negative ways, but no longer allowing it to command or govern us - instead using the information from the past to aid us in making better decisions moving forward.
The book is also a sobering reminder in understanding that healing is a gradual process. If we have built thick layers of negative thinking over many years, then we cannot expect healing to be a quick-fix: 'It takes time and intention to break a habit that has been repeated countless times'. Ultimately, to become 'lighter', we need to practice long-term self-awareness and self-reflection by examining our inner narratives and how our own thinking effects our emotions.
A phenomenal read and would highly recommend regardless of where you are in life.
This book would be great for someone who is completely new to the concept of self-healing - it may simply reinforce or reiterate certain principles for those who are some way down the road.
The writing style is a little bloated and repetitive. But I do like how the writer lays out the importance of self-healing for building a better world on a collective level.
I prefer his poetry. This certainly wasn't a bad book, it just didn't contain any teachings that I hadn't heard before. Perhaps that just means I'm getting old haha
A couple of interesting insights (especially early on) but then becomes so self-indulgent and pretentious, I just couldn’t stomach it. Plus the audiobook was monotonous. Not for me.
What did I just read? What? I had heard of Yung Pueblo, as he calls himself, on Instagram. When I was gifted this book for my birthday, I turned to it with joy. But I didn't feel any lighter. No. I just felt weighed down.
Pueblo may mean well, but there is nothing in this book. It seems like a random compilation of stuff that is already available on the internet. I will sum it up for you: Meditate.
That's it.
Then, apparently you start healing. Once you have self-healing, everything becomes clearer.
When you do this... That happens.
That's it.
I am astonished this book has 300 pages. This is one Instagram post masquerading as a book.
This was a pretty great book that covers a wide range of topics. I haven’t read any of Yung Pueblo’s work, but right when I started the book, I realized he’s in recovery like myself. I could relate to a lot of his story and what he’s learned in his own recovery. In this book, Pueblo provides a lot of practical advice for practicing compassion and kindness toward others as well as yourself. He also discusses being more disciplined and developing self-awareness and responsibility. It’s an all-around fantastic book that I highly recommend.
Yung Pueblo offers a lot of insights on how you can live a lighter and more impactful life. I love how he details the need to go slower and do a lot of reflection.
This is a great book for anyone who is looking to work more on being more compassionate to themselves and those around them.
A lovely read and hurray for completing my 2022 reading challenge!
Found so much resonance as I read, especially the first few chapters on letting go, relationship and friendship. Almost cried as I was struggling with handling conflicts in a deep and meaningful friendship.
Not quite there yet when I read the last 1-2 chapters. Probably too idealistic and grand for me to imagine healing the world. Let’s take small steps: work on our own healing first.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I was really into the purpose of the book and feeling excited in the beginning. I think this would have been a better memoir or "this is my experience" book. I felt like trying to apply what he learned to everyone without any data to support is inappropriate. I have depression and a lot of the suggestions just aren't plausible. I do like his writing style and ideas, but this book wasn't effective in its purpose imo.
It’s great for someone new to spirituality and to learn more about the author if you’ve enjoyed his other books. For spiritual “vets” there wasn’t really anything new
Craving and aversion are the rocks damming the river of our life. No thanks to these heavy mental boulders, we get stuck in a stagnant, tense reservoir of avoidance, reactivity, pleasure -seeking, and control. But when we observe our mind honestly, with unconditional acceptance, we create space between the sediment. Love flows, stones roll away, and we are once again swept away in a healing current. We become the ever-changing river again: lighter, brighter, wiser, and ready to reshape the world.
Yung pueblo (Diego Perez) delivers an uplifting message that is simple, clear, and transformative. He writes in plain language and offers unassailable wisdom, at least some of which is guaranteed to prompt meaningful reflection for all readers. Perez's testimony of progress from drug abuse to peace through Vipassana meditation demonstrates that he 'walks the talk' and serves as an inspiring example. It's a meaningful read with the power to help a lot of people.
However, steady customers of the personal development section will find little revelation here. Perez offers advice one might expect from a therapist (albeit one with an Eastern bent), and that's great for newcomers to the genre, but veteran spiritual seekers might want to look elsewhere for novel insight.
I was expecting this read to be immensely prophetic, given the recommendation of other authors and well-being practitioners. For the majority, it delivered, but not in the way one would expect.
I found many of the directives to be repetitive, and whilst I understand that is what some people desire to learn, I found that I was just reading the same passage of words in various iterations.
There was nothing inherently unattractive about this read. However, there are equally no outstanding qualities to it.
I did find myself rushing the end as I'd just wanted to finish it already so that I could move on to other 'want to reads'.
This is a beautiful book. I love how eloquently, yet tangibly the author laid out a path to healing, not just for us as individuals but collectively as a planet - starting with our own journeys. I think this was a refreshing departure from fluffy self-help books and deeply felt, deeply laid out with love. I journaled throughout reading and made use of the “reflections” and I think that inspired more introspection when this is a book that could be breezed over… but should not. This is a book that’s made to be felt.
When this book arrived, I had just made a decision purely for myself. A decision that made life harder, but made me feel so much more authentic to myself and my healing. This book was exactly what I needed.
'Lighter' is a place where I am allowed to be explicit with myself. What hurts, what doesn't, whether any of it means anything, what to keep, what to let go. This book brought a lot of perspective to what I had already been navigating on my own healing journey. However, you must approach this book without ego. You have to be open to listening, reflecting, and examining what is being said and how you can stop censoring yourself.
This is a case of the wand choosing the wizard; this book chose me at the right time. I look forward to returning to it when I find myself sat in front of my journal trying to make sense of it all.
I am so disappointed with this book. I felt really lost and bored whilst reading it. In my opinion the author writes vaguely and in a manner that makes him sound superior in his healing progress. He repeats extensively what can be said in a few words. I was seeking for concrete ways that help with inner growth and unfortunately this book does not provide it!
2.5 stars. This book was very repetitive and a bit vague. I felt like most of the book described what will happen once you’ve completed this grand healing journey, but not actually how to do it, lol.
I’ve been following yung pueblo on social media for a little while now, and I love his little sayings. When I saw this book had come out, I was excited to read it as I thought I’d get more of that.
However, this is not a bunch of separate sayings, but still beautiful in its own regard as he gets to expand on the short little message I see online. Yung pueblo speaks about his own life experiences while writing about the process of healing and how to accomplish that.
The book didn’t give me too much that I didn’t already know, but it was great to see a lot of what I feel like I had picked up over the years consolidated on one book. He also is great with his prose and there are lines in this book that really struck a chord with me— which is what I really got me into his work originally.
What I found unique about this book is that it not only talks about healing yourself, but how to improve the world too with structural compassion. He writes that one of the best things you can do to better the world is to simply heal yourself. I thought that was a lovely reminder to stay committed to your healing journey and not get too overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done to make the world a better place.
I really enjoyed reading this book as I am a huge fan of Yung Pueblo! Most of his stuff is relatable while other stuff is new and comprehensible. Liked everything up until the last section about healing as a collective. It was good information but more on the preachy side for me.
healing progresses quickly when you find the practices that connect with the conditioning your mind has developed over time. p10
People can certainly help you, but it is your intention and effort that will help you evolve past the hurt you carry. p38 Change is not possible if you cannot see WHAT needs to be changed. p43
Diego Perez has a pretty good idea. Expanding on the wisdom succinctly presented in his book Clarity & Connection, still writing under his nom de plume, Jung Pueblo, he is doing more than just indicating an approach to personal healing, as vital and necessary as that may be. He is giving a language for a prescription to begin to heal what ails the world.
Self-love is a gateway. p26 The appreciation you seek from others will not hold the same rejuvenating power as the appreciation, attention, and kindness you can give yourself. p14
Why is this often so difficult? YP introduces the concept of Radical Honesty and the idea that only by facing the difficulties that arise when we begin our healing can we proceed. We don't want to punish ourselves by the process, so awareness is crucial and self-care becomes critical.
The temptation is to fall back into unconsciously motivated behavior....p19 Dishonesty with yourself creates distance. The more lies you build up over time, the more you become a stranger to yourself. When you cannot accept your own truth, you are moving in the opposite direction of self-awareness. p20
Healing is a continuous state of growth.... Hanging on to the remnants of the past will only delay your arrival into the present. p194 Being with the agitation is better than adding to the agitation. p191
Combining his healing practices with social justice work is a key indicator that however he calls himself, his is a fresh voice that draws from the spectrum of wisdom traditions in a way that is immediate and accessible, adding to it with a poets sensitivity and the urgency of a prophet.
You have to be critical and intentional if you don't want to be told what to believe - if you don't want to be digitalized, siloed and exploited. p243
Humanity will not be civilized until everyone has access to what they need to flourish. p244 We don't just need each other, we ARE each other. p247
No groundbreaking new ideas, but lots of validating reflections and thoughts, which are all the more beautiful for having been expressed through the mind of a writer. I flew through most of the book, but the last 20% felt like trudging through mud. I think this information could be conveyed beautifully in 100 pages or fewer.