Author | Filmmaker and Host, Tola Talks
Hey everyone, we figured out Zoom and made it easier for you with a new Passcode: tolayoga. Same Meeting ID: 917 1004 1603 and start time 9a (PT).
Go to Zoom.us this Saturday – and every Saturday morning until Christmas – and I’ll see you on mat! Peace – R
Just like it’s best to always think positive and never give up when it comes to How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth, the same goes for change: best to embrace change as “a good thing” when it comes to, well, just about anything.
So get ready for some exciting changes with a new podcast studio for Tola Talks 2.0 and some free Tola Yoga classes on Zoom…coming soon!
Get your workout in everyone, and I’ll see you on the mat. Peace – R
Now that April is in the books, it’s a great time to reflect upon your small victories in the quest to win the war. Because when it comes to achieving your goals and aspirations – and your bountiful dreams – it’s all about making small advances on a daily basis as well as experiencing enlightenments along the way. Especially in these frustrating times of shutdown and uncertainty.
Small victories in the war also relates to your physical body, i.e., your temple and what you’ve done (today) to help fortify it for the journey. Thus, fitness is an everyday necessity, for sure, if you want to stay strong and youthful forever.
So, you gotta ask yourself one question: Did I workout enough in April 2020? Meaning, every single day or more specifically, 30 times. With ‘stay-at-home’ orders permeating the globe, how difficult was it for anyone on the planet aged 12 and up to squeeze at least 15 minutes of exercise into their busy day? And what about your Cardio, Abs/Stretching and Tola Yoga? I trust you got those in too. And if not, then hopefully my exercise report card for April will provide you with some much-needed fitness inspiration:
When you look at my sum total for April, that equals 86 hours of exercise. To get my daily (and monthly) percentage of exercise achieved, simply divide 86 hours into the total number of hours in April (720), and that equals 12%.
Perhaps more than your average bear, but nothing too extreme. Now 12% may seem gargantuan compared to 1% – that’s exercising every single day for 15 minutes – because unfortunately most people don’t even do that. And if your exercise score is somewhere between me and 1%, you’re a superstar. I believe that. But if during April you’ve averaged less than 1%, than God help you.
Either way, make note of your small victories and keep moving forward. In everything you do, including your career goals and aspirations as well as your hobbies and your wildest dreams. And believe that anything is possible.
And finally, in addition to my fitness victory for April, I scored another small victory by completing my second nonfiction opus about everlasting youth. Another one-of-a-kind creation you’ll really enjoy, especially all the readers of my first book, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood.
Have an awesome May everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R
Hey everyone, hope you’re thinking, speaking and feeling positive, and most importantly, hope you’re getting your daily workouts in!
I certainly am. Not to mention I’m especially positive and grateful because today marks the 10-year anniversary of my feature film, Boulevard Zen, where “Life’s a boulevard and sometimes you get stuck.” What a day it was back in 2009, my first Hollywood premiere. Flash forward 10 years and our protagonist, the no-bullshit, east-coast attorney turned yoga master, Bobby D’Angelo, is at it again in my award winning short film, Zen Diaries: The Lockdown.
Watch the Boulevard Zen movie trailer and the 21-minute short below, plus check-out our theme song, Life’s Boulevard, performed by LA’s Best Male Vocalist of the Year, Erick Macek. Stay focused on your goals everyone, and keep rockin’ your dreams. Peace – R
Boulevard Zen is also available on Amazon click here
This Sunday, May 6th, no doubt you’ll be ready for a lustrating Tola Yoga class…that is to say, if you partied too hard on Cinco de Mayo.
So come quell that hangover with a great yoga workout, and don’t forget your bathing suit for the poolside festivities before and after class.
$10 class this Sunday from 2 – 3p in DTLA at 111 W. 7th Street – 90014
Any questions? Email me anytime at [email protected]. Peace – R
I’m heels over head for teaching my 500th Yoga class since arriving in Chicago last September.
I’m grateful to my courageous students, fellow teachers and managers, and the owners of Chicago Athletic Clubs for giving me the opportunity to spread my passion for fitness & yoga, and specifically my style of Tola Yoga.
Looking forward to inspiring the world with YogaStyles of RICH and the Almost Famous.
Peace – R
Another day, another workout has been my motto for the past 40 years. Now how about a new one for the next 40 years…Another week, another Tola Yoga class!
That said, here’s another challenging 45 min Yoga class from yesterday LIVE on Periscope with my lovely student Stephanie Loo. Have an awesome week everyone, and see you next time!
No doubt having Courage brings you to a whole new level in life. As it does with your Yoga practice, not to mention one simple fact that everybody knows…Yoga gives you Courage.
Alright, let’s not state the obvious here, but doing one-armed feathered peacock pose (or Pincha Mayurasana for you Yoga purists) for the first time, well that takes Courage. So Kudos to my students who courageously tried & learned 10 of the most advanced Yoga poses on earth!
Here’s a few pics and a video of me teaching Eka Pada Koundinyasana I & II from our Arm Balancing & Inversion Workshop at Evanston Athletic Club. Have an awesome day! Peace – R
I know what you’re thinking. Here’s another no-nonsense East coast dude ranting about getting your life together when it comes to everything from dating to fitness. You’re right…but in a good way.
Let’s face it. Sometimes you need a little external motivation to get you going to the gym or yoga studio, or for that power walk around the neighborhood. Take me for instance. In six weeks I turn 48, which makes it 31 years since I started driving and began my daily workouts at Man’s World gym in Trenton, NJ. But even today, after all those years, I often require that external motivation to keep me interested and to give me that little extra something to work towards. Fortunately, in my gym there’s this guy who’s built like Adonis, and like me, works out every single day. Yesterday I asked him his age thinking “if this guy is anywhere close to my age I’ll retire”. Luckily he said 31. That makes me old enough to be his father, and since he was born the same year I started working out, I felt relieved. Because we all know the powers of Father Time and Mother Nature, and how your body certainly slows down as the years click by. So in the gym this guy’s my motivation. As for the yoga studio, I started practicing in 2005, so let’s just say my internal motivation kicks in at all times! So if you need a little external motivation to get you going, pick someone who’s got that rockin’ bod, or better yet, find that beautifully sculpted body in a magazine and post it our your vision board. And if you don’t have a vision board, then post it on your bathroom mirror. Because when if comes to anything fitness, sometimes we can all use a little help. Enjoy your workout – R