Celebrating 50 Years of Fitness with Weights & Yoga!

Yesterday I turned 53, so we did a little photo shoot by Lake Michigan to celebrate my 50 years of fitness. That’s right, I said FIFTY because at age 13 my Dad started me weight training on a regular basis – not to mention all the push-ups and sit-ups I had already been doing for years.

Add to that 10 years of Yoga, and voila! 40 yrs of Weights + 10 yrs of Yoga = 50 yrs of Fitness

And like the saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, so you do the math. And don’t forget to tune-in this Sunday, April 3rd at 11am (Central Time) for the best Yoga workout in the world…Tola Yoga streaming LIVE (and it’s free) on my Periscope and Twitter! Peace – R

Rich Tola Birthday 2016

Courage Works at the Yoga Workshop (video)

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

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https://vimeo.com/richtola/richtolayogaworkshop

Learn the Art of Arm Balancing & Inversions on January 30th

Come join the fun and strengthen your Yoga practice by learning how to come in and out of these 10 challenging and potentially harmful poses. Since most Yoga instructors avoid these advanced poses in class, all the more reason why you should learn the proper way to do them.

Make a day of it, learning new skills & enjoying the amazing amenities Evanston Athletic Club has to offer, not to mention what a lovely downtown to explore, just 12 miles north of Chicago and home to my alma mater, The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

For reservations call the Evanston Athletic Club @ 847-833-6190…and I’ll see you next Saturday!

Peace – R

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Hosting/StandUp – Last Comedy Showcase of 2015

Treat yourself to my last hosting and Stand-up gig of the year, the Ain’t Jokin’ Wit Chu Comedy Showcasetomorrow night (December 29th) at Abram Gale Lounge in Chicago, starting at 8pm.

Excellent line-up with two super funny comedians from our 12 Ladies of Christmas Holiday Show at Two Hearted Queen, my friends Danette Mark & Bridget Clymore. Gonna be a blast!

And if we don’t see you there, have an amazing New Year everyone…and feel free to drop-in my Yoga class on New Year’s Day at Wicker Park Athletic Club from 10:30-11:30am. Peace – R

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Practice Makes Perfect…Otherwise Hit the Gym

Another show under my belt and another reason to go back to the drawing board. Because practice makes perfect, or at the very least, gives you the opportunity to evolve whatever you’re doing. If that’s not working, then hit the gym and get your workout in…that always helps!

Rich Tola at Flappers Comedy Club
Rich Tola at Flappers Comedy Club – May ’15

This past weekend  I performed again at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank, CA and tried all new material that was funnier than my previous show – that’s a good thing! Because with stand-up comedy it’s all about delivering your jokes with as few words as possible and with as much attitude as possible, then refining them soon thereafter to get them to work. And for those jokes that are already working, i.e., everyone’s laughing hysterically, then don’t change a thing. So they say…whoever “they” is.

Either way the key is to keep improving your stand-up comedy act to one that flows seamlessly and effortlessly while you’re simply having a conversation with the audience. Something I’m progressing with, a task much easier said then done.

Hope to see you at my next Flappers show on Father’s Day, June 21st in the Main Room.  – R

Stand-up in the East Village NYC & next show in LA

eastvillecomedy clubHappy Cinco de Mayo everyone…hope you’re having an awesome day!

I’m looking forward to returning to NYC next week and will be performing at the EastVille Comedy Club on 85 E. 4th Street next Tuesday, May 12th starting at 6p.  My next LA show will be at Flappers Comedy Club in Burbank on Saturday, May 23rd from 7:30-9p in the YooHoo Room.

Good stuff all around as I continue to write new Stand-up material and learn that just because you have a great Topic and a Premise, doesn’t mean you’ll have a great joke. Thus the need to keep re-working your material again and again, once you’ve tried it in public.

Like I did at my recent Flappers show on April 24th. It’s always a rush when you get when you get up on stage, plus you learn a lot about what jokes are working as well as get accustomed to both hot and cold audiences. Quite a journey, and one that gets better with each performance.

Keep believing you can & sit tall in the saddle. And don’t forget your daily workout! Peace – R