Guest: Kimber Simpkins, author of Full: How I Learned to Satisfy My Insatiable Hunger and Feed My Soul

About the book: Full is the true, poignant story of one woman’s spiritual journey as she recovers from anorexia, eases the emotional pain of her hunger through yoga and Buddhism, and finally becomes full. In this inspiring and captivating memoir, Kimber Simpkins captures vividly—with piercing insight, raw emotion, and often humor—the all-consuming hunger she felt on a daily basis as a result of an eating disorder. Sick of dieting and hating her body, Simpkins decides to get to the bottom of her unhappy relationship with her body. That’s when she discovers the healing power of yoga and Buddhism. Along the way, Simpkins realizes her hunger isn’t simply physical, but that it comes from a place deep inside her. Through the wise teachings of yoga and meditation, Simpkins discovers she doesn’t have to live in a prison of self-dissatisfaction. In fact, by understanding the root of her pain and learning to love herself in body, mind, and spirit, Simpkins is able to truly set herself free. As she wrestles with her inner demons of hunger and perfectionism and learns how self-acceptance can soften even her toughest inner critic, Simpkins takes us along on her voyage of self-discovery. At its core, this book is a journey to find true self-fulfillment that will inspire readers in their own search to create a full and meaningful life. From the author: Hi, I’m Kimber Simpkins. As long as I could remember, hunger followed me like an annoying little brother from the elementary school tetherball court, around the middle school track, into the spotlight of my high school’s production of “Once Upon a Mattress,” even tracked me into my college dormitory with its multi-table buffet, and all the way past long days spent in the dark law school library cubicles. As a lawyer and a new mother, I thought I would never be rid of it. It took years of practicing the gentle awareness that my yoga and meditation teachers urged me to offer myself before I figured out how to turn hunger into a friend instead of a problem. This is the story of Full. I’m also working on a second book, 52 Ways to Love Your Body (New Harbinger, Jan 2016), which is full of simple practices you can use daily to treat your body with more love. When I’m not balancing on my wobbly indoor standup paddleboard yoga mat, I might be outside in the garden meditating on our flock of backyard chickens while getting ready to go teach a yoga class or workshop. I am a big fan of the Health At Every Size (HAES) movement and community, and welcome students of all sizes and levels in class. I’m grateful to be a long-time Bay Area resident, enjoying the California weather with the love of my life, son, dog, cat, and chickens in Oakland.