Healthy Habits
The challenge kicks off on Monday, June 19. You can join in the app starting Monday, June 12.
THE PROCESS OF MAKING GOOD HABITS (OR BREAKING BAD ONES) CAN BE GENUINELY BRUTAL—BUT IT DOESN’T HAVE TO BE.
Too often we try to bludgeon ourselves into eating better, exercising more, or meditating regularly. We recruit our inner drill sergeant for motivation, and then feel defeated when our willpower inevitably dissolves.
In this challenge, Stanford health psychologist and bestselling author Kelly McGonigal lays out a much saner roadmap for behavior change—not through shame and self-flagellation, but instead through mindfulness and curiosity. Along with meditation teacher Alexis Santos, she’ll help you get to the root of what is most important about the change you want to make. With your compass set to what matters most, building new habits and breaking old ones is not a superficial self-improvement project, but instead something much deeper.
The 7-day challenge includes short video lessons followed by guided meditations, loaded with practical tips for building habits so that they’ll actually stick.
HEALTHY HABITS OUTLINE
WITH KELLY MCGONIGAL + ALEXIS SANTOS
SESSION 1: CHANGING HOW WE THINK ABOUT CHANGE
Meditation: Starting with Mindfulness
SESSION 2: WHAT'S YOUR MOTIVATION?
Meditation: Making a Commitment
SESSION 3: WAKING UP FROM AUTOPILOT
Meditation: More Mindful, Less Mindless
SESSION 4: THE THREE E'S: EASE, ENJOYMENT, ENVIRONMENT
Meditation: Mindset of Experimentation
SESSION 5: SURFING THE URGE
Meditation: Getting Curious About Our Impulses
SESSION 6: JUST ADD WARMTH
Meditation: Three Steps to Self-Compassion
SESSION 7: SOME COURAGE REQUIRED
Meditation: Appreciating the Journey
ABOUT THE EXPERTS
Kelly McGonigal, Ph.D.
Kelly McGonigal, PhD, is a health psychologist and lecturer at Stanford University, and a leading expert in the new field of “science-help.” She is passionate about translating cutting-edge research from psychology, neuroscience, and medicine into practical strategies for health, happiness, and personal success. She is the author of The Joy of Movement, The Willpower Instinct, and The Upside of Stress.
Alexis Santos
Alexis has practiced and taught Insight Meditation in both the East and West since 2001. He has been a long-time student of Sayadaw U Tejaniya (a well-respected meditation teacher in Burma whose teachings have attracted a global audience), and his teaching emphasizes knowing the mind through a natural and relaxed continuity—a style of practice that’s particularly useful during our crazy lives. He has completed the Spirit Rock/IMS Teacher Training, teaches retreats across the globe, and currently lives in Portland, Maine.
Professor Akinola holds a B.A. and M.A. in Psychology from Harvard University, as well as a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior. She also holds an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School.
Dan Harris
Dan Harris is a co-anchor the weekend edition of Good Morning America on ABC News, as well as a correspondent for such broadcasts as Nightline and World News Tonight.
After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good Morning America, Dan found meditation and then wrote 10% Happier, as a way to convince fellow skeptics to give the practice a shot.
Dan has been at ABC News for 19 years. Before that, he was in local news in Boston and Maine. He grew up outside of Boston and currently lives with his wife, Bianca, and son, Alexander, in New York City.
