Being Home

In this spiritual guide to creating wellness in any space, debut author Ross delivers practical advice, strategies, and clear explanations of the ways people interact with their surroundings.

The author, a teacher and public speaker, offers a wealth of knowledge and solutions in this guide to developing a nurturing, calming relationship with one’s environment. Ross explains that although most people have a place that they call “home,” they may still feel “exiled” if they don’t feel at home emotionally. Ross begins with the powerful advice to start a “conversation” about a room, asking oneself questions such as, “When you go to bed, are you able to let go of the day easily?” and “What are your typical routines in the space, and are they really restful?” She then suggests that small changes can shift one’s relationship with a space—one that has usually formed from unconscious habit. She suggests “reading your environment”: noticing things that feel “off” about a room and examining what those things say about you. For example, Ross includes an anecdote about a woman named Helen, who found that paper piled up in her living space; this signaled to her that she wasn’t good at making decisions. By simply placing a recycling box near the door, Ross says, Helen empowered herself to make immediate determinations about what to save and what to recycle, which allowed her to clear her mind and her environment at the same time. If one feels “not at home,” Ross explains, “it’s important to understand why. A chair that is too close to the carpet edge or a bookcase crammed beyond capacity is a message.” Ross skillfully explains the concept of chakras and the ways that they act as energy centers in the body, and then delivers an intriguing, easy-to-understand explanation of how the body contains centers of control and calm. Although other self-help books also explore such topics, this title does so in a logical fashion that makes it great for readers who’ve never explored chakras, meditation, or other topics of holistic wellness.

A clear, conversational exploration of one’s connections to home.