Author | Filmmaker and Host, Tola Talks
Calling all eclectic shoppers and yoga enthusiasts…come peruse and purchase some really cool hand-made vintage accessories or get your hair done while mixing in a little Tola Yoga.
I’ll be teaching a donation class on the 11th Floor from 12-1p, so come early and bring your mat. For more information or to register for free, please visit A Beautiful Pop-Up on Eventbrite.
Peace – R
Do you remember those legendary Crazy Eddie commercials from the mid-80’s…his prices were so low they were INSANE!
Well, just like Crazy Eddie I’ve slashed my private rates in half in order to spread the Tola Yoga love throughout the City of Angels. Now you can advancing your practice while getting an amazing, well-balanced yoga workout with me privately for only $60 per session. Or grab your spouse, lover, best friend or co-workers and let’s rock it out for $90 (two or more students).
And if private sessions are not in your budget through the summer of 2017, then come take my Tola Yoga class at The REEF every Wednesday at 5:15pm and 6:15pm…for only $10. Park in the lot and remember to bring your mat and water and ticket to class so we can validate.
To book your first private session, email: [email protected]. Peace – R
Thanks to Maker City LA, I’m now teaching Tola Yoga classes every Wednesday at The REEF, located at the corner of Broadway & Washington in the Fashion District of DTLA.
First class starts at 5:15pm while the second class starts at 6:15pm.
Great building, wonderful zen space, the best yoga workout in the world (come see for yourself), and above all, another opportunity to stretch, strengthen and detox every part of your body while advancing your yoga practice.
Have an awesome day everyone, and I’ll see you on the mat.
Peace -R
Over the past 11 years I’ve had the pleasure of teaching some really inspiring students from 
NYC to LA to Chicago to Seattle – and several places in between – who make it all worth while.
Thanks for the memories everyone, and especially these kind words. Peace – R
“When I walk into Rich’s class feeling emotionally weak, without a doubt, every week, at the end of the hour, I feel stronger and more confident.” – Adriana R.
“Thank you so much for filling our little Seattle yoga class with such wonderful joy & skills. You are AMAZING and I have learned a ton!” – Sallie B.
“Rich is a master at sequencing poses. My body always feels great for hours after class.” – Lauren A.
“It’s very well-structured, plus I get a great full-body workout every time I take Rich’s class. He’s the best!” – Vika L.
“After 10 years, I took my practice to a new level when I started taking Tola Yoga classes.” – Rhonda C.
“Tola Yoga is effective in strengthening and stretching every part of your body, plus it’ll make you sweat!” – Ron W.
“Rich’s classes are transformative.” – Jeremy S.
“Thank you for your classes and training this past year. I spent six weeks after knee surgery without putting any weight on my left leg, and because of your super long standing sequences, my right leg was strong enough to carry me throughout. For that I am grateful.” – Ananya D.
Hey everyone, I’m back in LA teaching Tola Yoga classes and hosting live entertainment events like never before. Or shall I say, like before but with a renewed energy and fiery passion that’ll knock your socks off!
Why?
Because after two years of teaching hundreds of classes to nearly ten thousand yoga students in Chicago and Seattle, it’s great to be home. Plus, I’ll be surprising you with pop-up Tola Yoga classes around town, as well as hosting live events like this Saturday, June 10th from 2-4p at the Glendale Central Library. So come enjoy the exciting sounds of the fusion-jazz band, Manjé and The Tips, and you might find yourself laughing your butt off while doing some half-time yoga hosted by yours truly.
In the meantime, check-out this short mix from YogaStyles of RICH and the Almost Famous: Chicago. And for more information about Private or Corporate Tola Yoga classes, please email [email protected]. Have an awesome day and don’t forget your daily workout! Peace – R
Thank you Seattle, for a wonderful six months of teaching yoga to well over 1,000 students in exactly 136 classes. Because as you may already know, I’ll be returning to my beloved Los Angeles (aka Home) where I first began teaching my fitness style of yoga in 2007 before it was even known as Tola Yoga.
And who says you can’t have a blast walking around and exploring Seattle in the rain? Plus, you never really get those torrential downpours like Chicago does, so who needs protection? Seattleites with an umbrella, that’s something you rarely see. I guess that’s why people would always ask, “You’re not from around here, right?” With my black leather jacket and biker boots and carrying a red umbrella, go figure. Or maybe it was just my California tan 🙂
And what a great place to stay in shape and to keep moving forward, or I shall I say, upward…on the plethora of hills that traverse the Emerald City.
No doubt your butt works overtime in this town. I should know, I’ve walked more neighborhoods than Oprah has houses (well, maybe not) and loved every minute of it!
But what I’ll miss most – other than my yoga students, especially Charisma, Jodi and Sallie who never missed a class – are the amazing views of downtown Seattle you get just by walking around or lounging in Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Park, including my three favorites you see here.
So thanks Seattle, and until we meet again I wish you the very best. Continue growing and providing your good citizens with more great buildings, parks, restaurants, culture, grunge-free fashion and of course, a Tola Yoga studio in the near future.
Hey, ya neva know!
Peace – R
Or shall I say, Belle of the Gym. Let me explain:
The other day I saw this elderly woman working out in the gym and I thought to myself, wow, this woman really knows what she’s doing and she’s definitely a regular. It was the third time I had seen her this week.
I was definitely curious, so I introduced myself and asked Belle a few questions. Because when a fitness dude like me who’s worked-out or practiced Yoga every single day for the past 40 years (that’s no bullshit), sees a fitness dudette who’s well into her 70’s, well, I’m impressed.
Check it out. Belle has osteoporosis and says she knows the importance of lifting weights to stay strong so she works out three times a week. Yes, three times a week, every week.
And it shows.
When I asked if she ever misses a workout, she said, “Sometimes I slip and slide around a little bit with my days, but I always go three times a week. I have to.” Belle also said her body is not what it used to be so sometimes she feels it the next day. Similar to my own Mom who goes to the gym every week and has done so for the past 30 years, her body often feels it the next day too.
But no worries, because you gotta keep going. Your strength and youth depends on it.
So take if from Belle and “have fun with it!” And even though my Tola Yoga workouts may be too intense for her (I agreed), Belle says “mix it up with different exercises like the machines, treadmill or these bikes that let you ride through the parks of San Francisco (her favorite).”
Kudos to you Belle and everyone else getting your workout groove on every week!
Happy Mother’s Day everyone 🙂 Peace – R
Hey everyone, it’s that special time again when I teach my 100th Tola Yoga class in another one of America’s largest and most prosperous cities: Seattle.
So if you’re in the Emerald City this Friday at 9:15AM, come celebrate with me and my amazing yoga students and treat yourself to a fun & challenging workout!
I’m currently teaching Private and Corporate classes as well as one-hour Skype consultations that include a compete review of your lifestyle, eating habits and fitness program, plus an explanation of how Tola Yoga will help you achieve peak performance and peace of mind.
Email me at [email protected] to schedule a private class or consult, or come take any one of my weekly public classes at the following health clubs throughout Seattle:
Tuesday – 10AM at Emerald City Athletics in Fremont
Thursday – 10AM at Emerald City Athletics in Fremont
Friday – 9:15AM at Pacific Northwest Fitness (formerly Gold’s Gym) in Capitol Hill
Saturday – 11:15AM at Flow Fitness in South Lake Union
Sunday – 10AM at Soul Fitness in Belltown
Sunday – 12PM at Tribe Fitness in Capitol Hill
Have an awesome week and I’ll see you on the mat!
Peace – R
Live What You Love and happiness will follow you everywhere.
I wrote this in yesterday’s blog and I’ll reinforce it again today. Because no matter what your current profession or your life’s passion – hopefully they’re one in the same – living what you love to do is something everyone can accomplish. That is to say, if you’re willing to make some sacrifices in order to achieve it. Because just like it was nearly 300 years ago and succinctly articulated by renown Scotish economist Adam Smith, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Case in point: 12 years ago I fell in love with Yoga and soon thereafter I became a certified teacher. Since then I’ve taught more than 25,000 students in over 2,000 classes throughout the United States, produced more than 30 hours of instructional videos including my Yoga-inspired film, Boulevard Zen, created my own style of Tola Yoga, and posted exactly 500 blogs since I started my website on December 9, 2010 (with Welcome to a new Fat Burning lifestyle!).
It’s also my birthday today, so here’s a little Tola Yoga treat to help center yourself and improve your balance. Enjoy and keep rockin’ your passion everyone…and live what you love! Peace – R
What is Yoga?
You know how many times I’ve been asked this question in the past 12 years, from men, women and children (and mostly men). Because knowing the definition of Yoga is much different than understanding this physical and mental art form, including the similarities and differences between the many styles of Yoga, e.g., Vinyasa Flow, Kundalini, Asthanga. Not to mention how each style uniquely impacts your body and your mind. Which is all good, no doubt, regardless of style. And don’t forget your spirit, although that aspect is much less tangible in all Yoga.
So what can a Yoga master with a passion for fitness spanning more than five decades, beginning with Jack LaLanne in the 1960’s, do to demystify that age-old question?
That’s simple: create another style that specifically caters to the fitness-minded individual.
One year ago I introduced Tola Yoga to the world with live classes on Periscope and YouTube: http://youtube.com/RichTolaYoga.
Although my Tola Yoga brand was born in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, it’s conception occurred 11 years earlier on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. That’s right, I taught my first “Stars of the Future” class on August 4, 2006 at New York Yoga. And what a rush it was! Kudos and thank you so much to all the amazing Yoga teachers who influenced and inspired me throughout my 200 hours of training…Jenny, Nixa, Michael, Karl, Rita, Lori, Molly, Sam, Kristen and Emily.
Because success is best served with a strong foundation. As well as passion and perseverance. And if you’re lucky, your life’s colorful journey will be long, prosperous and rather trying at times. But if you live what you love, happiness will follow you everywhere.
No doubt. And how’s this for serendipity: the other day I was in the drug store and came across this writing pad with that exact phrase, LIVE WHAT YOU LOVE. In colors just like that. So I had to buy it. And repeat it…to you today and to myself everyday, along with a few other mantras.
Keep rockin-it everyone, in whatever you do, and don’t forget your daily workout! Peace – R