Peach Friedman
author, educator & trainer
intuitive fitness for women

a memory lane of photos
california
2004 – 2010

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In honor of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, I’m paying tribute to one of the most influential people in my recovery, Kate Bruno. Kate was the first dietitian I ever worked with, and I’ll never forget that day she opened her front door and I walked into her office. My life changed forever.

Now she’s more than just a memory to me, she’s a good friend and a role model I still look to for support. I remember calling her last winter, after Victoria was born, feeling so overwhelmed and scared. I was in California and she was back in Virginia, but she talked me through that transition just like she talked me out of anorexia years ago.

I love you, Kate. Thanks for everything.

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I guess it’s one of the more obvious benefits of yoga, but I feel so much more grounded and in my body after practicing. This week is going to be chaotic: I have three talks for Eating Disorders Awareness Week, two 6am classes, a group at Summit, and, um, to pack all my earthly belongings into boxes for their exciting adventure in the moving truck.

I hope you won’t think too poorly of me if I tell you that, with all this in mind, I ran around the first half of today like a chicken with my head cut off. I’ll spare you the details, but when I finally rolled out my manduka mat and tuned into some Girish (thank you sweet baby Victoria for good afternoon naps) it was like coming home. And literally, at home, in my living room.

I never used to think I could enjoy or even really have a home practice, but since becoming mommy to my sweet one, it’s become my regular way of getting in my daily (or every-other-daily, or at least a couple-times-a-weekly) asana. And today, I love it. I think that’s a sign of how yoga has changed me, actually–because now instead of flying through some sequencing and jumping up to pee or answer the phone or jot down something I have to do, these days when I practice in my underpants amidst toys and books and the phone rings…those distractions of home surrounding me just dissolve into the background. I’m able to truly tune into my body, have a genuine, breath-filled practice, and it feels as complete as when I’m in the studio.

Of course, I do miss the inspiration from amazing teachers, and the community of practicing with other people, which is why I take a class whenever I can. But the point is: we carry our yoga with us. From the studio to the home, from the mat into life…

Now, back to my To Do List!

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do you ever wake up from a dream, and what you were experiencing in your sleep feels so real and rich your whole being is still full with it as your rouse and rise? i’m sure you’ve had this experience too.

last night i was with old friends in virginia, outside in the summertime. hugging, laughing, exploring.

now that i’m no longer lounging under my down, i feel awake enough to hear the birds chirping outside my window on this early sacramento spring saturday. i’m sipping my tea and watching baby v comb the carpet with her pink plastic fork.

hey, today is one of my last saturdays teaching at Asha Yoga. won’t you come out and play?

and, i found some new things to be grateful for, my husband and daughter aside (because they always come first, bien sur)…
1) honey. not only do i spoon it from the jar into my mouth for a sweet treat and dose of allergy-prevention, but now i cleanse my face with it too. believe it! softest skin, totally natural. (thanks mom!)
2) a sudden influx of what i love to call fan mail (cause how cool is that!). thanks to each of you who have read my book and written to tell me how it made you feel. i do my best to respond to everyone individually, but sometimes i fall behind. i love you & am proud of you too!
3) sleeping. deeply. lately. thank goodness for that!
4) because no gratitude list of mine is complete without a mention of chocolate, i recently discovered Vosges Haut Chocolat, and I especially love Mo’s Dark Bacon Bar. $6 a pop at Whole Foods means it’s a rare treat, but surely worth it when i’m willing to splurge.
5) my daughter is learning to walk!

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National Eating Disorders Awareness Week starts Sunday! In honor of this week-long campaign to raise awareness and celebrate recovery, I invite you to read this article written by Jennifer Lombardi of Summit.

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We’re moving. To Alabama. In just a couple of weeks. I’ve never even crossed that state line before, let alone spent any quality time there to know what it’s like or how I might fit in. But nonetheless, I’m excited. Elated, actually!

My time in California has been full of beautiful, loving friends, a vibrant yoga community, fresh produce year-round (I will miss that, for sure!) and accessibility to authentic Mexican food at nearly every corner (drool…). All of those things, plus my two years at CCA, my three years with Summit and of course, meeting my husband, have made my almost six years as a California resident rich with happy memories. Not to mention learning to ski in the Sierras, hiking up Shasta and Mt. Whitney with Jeffrey, delivering my first child here in Sacramento, walking onto Golden Gate Bridge with my dad, drinking beers in the Mission with Nat and Alex…and so on.

But. I’m ready for a change! And I know Alabama isn’t Virginia, and I know my world there will have challenges, but I am full of this sweet, warm sense that I’m kind of…going home.

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During the month of February, many communities recognize National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. Officially, the date is February 21-27, but many colleges and universities spread their events out throughout the course of February.

I’m participating in events for a few schools. Check out my calendar and see if you can make it to a book reading!

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I’m not a big proponent of New Year’s Resolutions in their typical form, cause, well, they usually involve extreme approaches to making change that aren’t realistic, and then backfire by mid-February. True change is generally progressive & gradual, and comes with forgivable slip-ups that don’t make us throw up our hands and say, “Oh well!” as we revert back to our pre-New Year’s selves.

I do believe, however, in positive intentions for making change & promoting growth in life, and I for sure think the New Year is as good a time as any (if not better) to look back at the last year (or decade!) and ahead at the next, while asking the question, “Am I living the life I want to be living?”

I believe we are the authors of our own lives. I believe we can cultivate the sort of quality of life that we most value and admire, and that brings a whole variety of happiness into our worlds. So with that said…here’s a few of my intentions as 2010 approaches:

1) I’m starting off with my friend (and brilliant writer) Kate Baggot’s idea for a decade full of pretty dresses. I think that sounds divine!
2) Less gossip! Zip it, Peach.
3) HORSEBACK RIDING. I really want to do this.
4) More time with friends, more girls nights out.
5) Fewer hours in front of the laptop.
6) Finding time for hikes with my hubby.

Notice that nowhere on my list does it say finish college, recover from an eating disorder, move across the country, get a master’s degree, get married, write a book, have a baby, or anything too reminiscent of the last ten years. I’m thinking small in the ’10s. Just like, living my life. (That’s not to say I won’t necessarily have another baby or get another degree or write another book…it’s just to say that, well, I’m not going to commit myself to those things!)

What’s your list like?

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Tune in for my interview with Jeanie Manchester and the Own It, Sister! team on December 28, 1pm PST!

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This time of year, I’m brimming with gratitude. The holidays used to stress me out, in fact, I remember wanting to avoid family situations, gift-giving, and decorating altogether. The year I lived in Boston, I went for a long solo run around the reservoir, spent a quiet Christmas day with my brother, and went home to my apartment to binge in privacy on cookies & peanut butter.

I look back on those lonely days and feel so immensely grateful for the full life that recovery has given me. My daughter is about to turn one and my home is filled with the scent of pine from my first Christmas tree as a married woman! There is so much to celebrate right now (including the winter solstice on Monday) that I can’t help but feel giddy.

Whether you have the extra cash to shop or not, it’s the perfect time of year to recognize your loved ones. In my yoga classes I’ve been inviting students to use their breath to send well-wishes to friends and family. The power of thought and intention can make a difference. Smile, reach out, offer a hug or a hand. And not just to your co-workers or your parents, but to yourself, too.

From my heart to yours, I offer you love and fulfillment this holiday season.

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