Will is the ability to do what really matters even when it’s difficult. This presentation draws on 300+ scientific studies on the life enhancing benefits of willpower (aka self-discipline, intention, passion, aim, volition, heart’s desire).
The fact is that people who have strong will are better off. Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D. wrote:
People who have strong willpower are happier and healthier. Their relationships are more satisfying and last longer. They make more money and go further inn their careers. They are better able to manage stress, deal with conflict and overcome adversity. They live longer. Self-control is a better predictor of academic success than IQ. It’s a strong determinant of effect leadership. And more important for marital harmony than empathy.
In this webinar, Anandi Gray looks at both eastern and western perspectives on self-discipline and willpower. Paramhansa Yogananda valued self-discipline so highly that he positioned it as the #1 item on his landmark Psychological Chart. It is among the 24 universal character traits of the world’s wisdom traditions. Still, most people report that they have very little of it.
We can train our brains to have more will. In this presentation you will find:
- 12 highly effective exercises to strengthen your will
- 9 ways you may be sabotaging your willpower
- The American Psychological Association’s 9 best stress relief strategies (important for self-discipline)
- 8 common stress relief strategies that destroy your will
- How being ‘bad’ at meditation actually strengthens your willpower
Anandi, B.S. (Nutrition), M.Th.(East-West Religions), M.S. (Counseling Psychology), E-RYT 500 is a 30+ year yoga practitioner, a teacher, licensed counselor and coach. For 20 years she was an instructor at Southern Oregon University where she taught courses in Raja Yoga, Holistic Health, Hatha Yoga, and Psychology. She is an Ananda Minister and a member of Psi Chi Psychology Honor Society. Other occupations include Feature Editor of The Chronicle, a daily newspaper in Connecticut; Account Supervisor at Ketchum Advertising and Public Relations in San Francisco; Director of the Jackson County Rape Crisis Recovery Team, Oregon; and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She is the author of a book (unpublished) on Raja Yoga.
During that time she continued to practice and teach yoga and meditation. Anandi found her spiritual guide, Yogananda, in 1985 and started the Ananda Yoga & Meditation Center in Ashland, OR that year. She now lives and serve at the Ananda Meditation Retreat. Anandi has a gift for clarifying the teachings of yoga and making them practical. Her deep calmness helps everyone around her feel comfortable and relaxed.