The willPower Method Is Back

Written by Stacey Lei Krauss

Some of you may know me as the creator of Cardio Yoga, a short-lived fitness education that grew from much deeper roots: a movement and conditioning program called The willPower Method, which I founded in New York City in 1999.

Last fall, the team at Move Mentors approached me about reviving the program that, for more than two decades, shaped both my work and my life in meaningful ways. I felt honored, surprised, and, if I’m being honest, a little intimidated by the idea of revisiting something that had once lit me up so completely, but over time had begun to feel distant — almost like a meaningful part of myself that had quietly gone to sleep.

As I spent my winter in India reflecting on what it might mean to revive something from the past, I realized that perhaps revival is not really about going backward at all. Maybe it’s about reconnecting to something essential — something that never fully disappeared, but slowly faded beneath self-doubt, changing seasons of life, disappointment, or the quiet ways failure can convince us to stop reaching toward parts of ourselves we once loved.

Life changes shape in ways we rarely anticipate. Sometimes the shift arrives suddenly: a relationship ends, burnout shakes our confidence, or rejection leaves us questioning ourselves. At other times, it happens more gradually through responsibility, changing hormones, deadlines, caregiving, and yes, an endless cycle of laundry.

Somewhere along the way, many of us get a little disconnected from our own spark.

The truth is, those deeper parts of ourselves rarely disappear. More often, they sit quietly beneath the surface like embers that have dimmed but never fully gone out, still holding traces of the confidence, curiosity, or creativity that once made us feel more like ourselves. Perhaps revival begins there — in noticing what still feels quietly important and giving ourselves permission to welcome it back.

As I sat with these ideas, I began to understand why revisiting willPower felt so important to me. Over the years, I watched people rediscover confidence, move through challenge with greater steadiness, and reconnect with a version of themselves that felt stronger and more capable. At its core, willPower was never simply about fitness; it offered rhythm, repetition, challenge, and community in ways that helped people trust themselves again.

This summer, instructors from around the world will relaunch willPower during the weekend of the Summer Solstice, June 20/21 — the longest and brightest day of the year. Many are stepping back into something they haven’t taught in years, dusting things off, taking a risk, and wondering if they still have it.

There feels like something quietly fitting about doing that at a time of year marked by light. Not because life suddenly changes overnight, but because beginning again often starts with something much smaller: remembering what still matters, trusting ourselves enough to try, and allowing a spark that dimmed to become visible again.

Before the solstice arrives, perhaps take a quiet moment with a journal and ask yourself:

What inside of me deserves a revival?

Not who you used to be, but what still matters — and what deserves permission to rise again.