Tola Yoga on Zoom – Saturdays in 2020

We had such a great time on Halloween that I decided to teach a weekly Tola Yoga class on Zoom every Saturday from 9-10a (LA time), through Christmas 2020.

No doubt if you take the class – and read my book – you’ll be that much closer to Drinking from the Fountain of Youth. Go to Zoom.us and “join a meeting”

Meeting ID:  917 1004 1603 Passcode: tolayoga

Have an awesome week and I’ll see you on the mat! Peace – R

Another Day – Another Workout

Respect Yourself.

No doubt two of the most important words ever invented. They’re also Step 7 of my new book, How to Drink from the Fountain of Youth: 30 Steps to Everlasting Youth. And when it comes to respecting your temple (aka, your body), simply embrace my motto: Another Day – Another Workout.

Also check-out today’s Tola Talks 2.0 – Episode #162, for the easiest exercises you can do for your triceps. Plus get the low-down on Tola Yoga classes coming to ZOOM on Halloween (better eat your Wheaties!)

Have an awesome week everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R

Self-Correct…anytime you get Off-Track

Whenever you find yourself getting off-track when it comes to your fitness regime or worse, your body weight, no worries. Simply Self-Correct.

Anyone who has read my memoir knows that Chapter 67 is one of my favorites and is called just that, Self-Correct. Because it’s all about getting back on-track ASAP as soon as you start to deviate from your daily fitness responsibilities as well as from your ideal weight.

Case in point: Last month I gained the COVID 5, that is to say, 5 pounds of extra weight due to the overconsumption of food (mostly cookies) during this crazy pandemic. Not sure about you, but the prolonged ‘safer-at-home’ decree has really put a damper on my fitness routine, not to mention my usually good eating habits. So rather than get mad or frustrated, I confidently chose to Self-Correct and I’m right back where I started…5 pounds lighter.

How did I do it? I increased my aerobic exercises to 8 miles of walking per day (up from 7 miles/day last month) and decreased my weight training exercises by about 50%. Thus, I kept my total monthly exercise percentage the same (12%) while increasing my total calories burned. That said, with a little time and energy and discipline (of course), anyone can make the right choice versus the easy choice. For more self-correcting details, check-out my book on Amazon.

Here’s my exercise report card for May 2020:

  • 20 minutes/day of Abs/Stretching and Tola Yoga = 10 hours
  • 20 minutes/day of bodyweight training = 10 hours
  • 25 flights of stairs/day = 750 (about 3 hours)
  • 8 miles/day of fast-paced walking = 250 miles (about 60 hours)
  • 7 minutes/day of standing balancing poses = 3 hours

Have an awesome June everyone…and get your workout in! Peace – R

Have a Micro Presence with a Macro View

It’s always best to Be Present in everything you do, that is to say, have a Micro Presence. But it’s also best to set timely goals and have a big picture take on your life, and that is to say, with a Macro View.

Especially when it comes to business and fitness. Unless you’re independently wealthy or already retired, then just focus on the fitness part. And since you’ve already set your business goals – if not then get to it – let’s focus on fitness. Which includes getting on the scale – if you haven’t already – and setting a 5 pound range for yourself to maintain throughout 2020. That’s once you get to your ideal body weight, so get there quick. And if you need some inspiration, check out STAY ZEN: Episode #5 – Who’s afraid of the big bad scale? Because anyone can maintain a healthy and desirable weight.

So every morning get on the scale – yes that’s EVERY single morning – and keep that number within a 5 pound range or you’ll need to Self Correct. Remember that concept from my memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood, from Chapter 67. A fan favorite and no doubt one of mine. In this case Self-Correct would be to eat more good foods (or whatever you want for that matter) to maintain or gain if you’re at the low end of your range – in my case 145 – or completely fast a full-day if you’re at the top – for me that’s 150. Easy peasy, then you’re back on track. No BS..it works. Today I was 146, so bring it on!

As for the exercising part, well just do as I do…and do it everyday. That’s correct. We’re 15 days into the new year and fortunately I’m 15 for 15. Bodybuilding at the gym, doing yoga poses, stretches and abs, plus walking 5+ miles every day and teaching two Tola Yoga classes a week. And no worries if you’re less than perfect or even 0 for 15, just start tomorrow and go 350 for the remaining 350 days. You can do it, so just believe you can and try. With all the aches and pains in my body, if I can do it, anyone can.

Have an awesome 2020 everyone, and get your workout in. Peace – R

Holidays are Made for Workouts…Really!

Happy Holidays everyone!

That means more time spent running around as well as more time spent lounging around the house, mostly before and after meals, right?

Wrong…because the holidays are a great time NOT to lounge around doing nothing but to instead, get your workout in. Whether it be the extra cardio – yes, zipping around the mall counts – or making use of that “lounging” time by hitting your gym or local community center for a quick 20 minute workout, just do it. That’s right, it’s easier to get your workout in during the holidays because who really wants you standing around the kitchen or taking up space in the living room hours before the meal. That’s how I look at it, squeeze every workout or group class or Tola Yoga class into your schedule, no matter where you are, and make that time all about maintaining your strong body – clear mind. No doubt good health always triumphs over bad. So make it good.

And if you need a little inspiration for some additional get up and go…or if you really need to Get Your Sh#! Together then watch my two films, Skateboard Bandits and Zen Diaries: The Lockdown. Sometimes we all could use a swift kick in the butt from badass attorney turned yoga master, Bobby D’Angelo.

Have an awesome Thanksgiving everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R

Tola Talks with Surfer/Yogi, Mike Tammaro

Just a couple of East coast dudes talking travel, surfing, fitness, yoga and real estate, as Tola Talks with his good friend and Surfer/Yogi, Mike Tammaro.

We’re talking everything from surfing the treacherous waves at Black’s Beach to the perfect waters of Costa Rica, to selling multi-million dollar homes in The Hamptons.

Also get the scoop on some great movies that brave the shining seas including Justice League, The Wackness, Point Break, Blue Crush, Soul Surfer and the 1974 great white blockbuster, Jaws.

Millennials take heed from your brethren and don’t be afraid of life’s choppy waters. Because you never know, you just might marry a Prince!

Have an awesome day everyone, and check-out my 3 simple eating tips for losing those 5 lbs by New Year’s Day (at 18:20 mins).  Peace – R

Tola Talks with Actor/Comedian, Barry Ratcliffe

Always a blast talking with my good friend, Actor/Comedian and Producer, Barry Ratcliffe. On the Monday before Thanksgiving, Tola Talks goes into hyper-speed with the super high-energy Ratcliffe talking about his days in the 90’s working with Don Johnson on Nash Bridges, to his recent days on WGN’s gritty drama, Outsiders. Not to mention Rich’s dogmatic talk about positivity always rules over negativity, specifically as it relates to the current witch hunt for Hollywood’s sexual predators, Serena Gomez getting bashed for lip-syncing at the AMAs, and hometown heroin overdoses.

Plus there’s more including protecting the world’s endangered species and #BeKindtoElephants, fitness tips for the holidays and movies flashbacks – talking Men in Black (1997) and George Clooney’s The American (2010).

Tola Talks with Dominatrix, Mistress Eva Lee

Tola Talks gets hot and steamy with the very lovely and very passionate dominatrix, Mistress Eva Lee. We’re talking everything from BDSM subcultures to the psychological power Dommes wield over their Subs (Submissives).

If I Were President, I would also create a RIPD (Rest In Peace Department) to bike patrol our Nation’s capitol streets and help eradicate crime and vagrancy. Plus, fitness tips for the last 50 days of 2017 and how to lose those unwanted 5 or 10 lbs. Rich also gives his take on the future of Harvey Weinstein, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K., et al., plus bestows them all the newly minted, “Now I Really Need to Get My F—king Shit Together Award”. Check it out out and more on yesterday’s show!

Have an awesome day everyone, and get your workout in! Peace – R

Build a Strong Foundation with Tola Yoga

Everybody knows the answer to that infamous question, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall”, right? Of course, it’s “practice, practice, practice”. And if you believe best-selling author and pop psych writer, Malcolm Gladwell (Outliers), you’ll say it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become world-class in any field.

But what happens when the foundation you’ve set for all your practicing is not that sturdy, or better yet, it’s built on quicksand? 

That’s why anyone looking to build a strong yoga practice should learn the proper fundamentals before spending hours upon hours in the yoga studio. Just like I say in Chapter 68 of my memoir, Simply Between Millions: From Wall Street to Hollywood, it’s always best to Learn from the Best. Or at the very least, learn from someone who has learned from the best.

That’s also why if you’re in Los Angeles you should treat yourself to a Tola Yoga class or private lesson to help you build that strong foundation. There’s something for everyone…from beginner-to-advanced as well as pregnant women…with my five distinct classes:

  1. Tola Yoga Fundamentals  – for beginners or anyone looking to re-learn the basics
  2. Tola Yoga Prime – for intermediate students and strong beginners
  3. Tola Yoga Power – for advanced students and strong intermediates
  4. Tola Yoga Prenatal – for women in all stages of pregnancy
  5. Tola Yoga Stretch & Restore – for all students from beginner-to-advanced

Feel free to email me your questions and to schedule your Tola Yoga private lesson today: [email protected]

Peace – R