Speaker Topics
CONSCIOUS AGING
I have often thought, ‘wouldn’t it be great to be a hundred years old with a fully functional healthy body and all the knowledge accumulated though the experiences of a lifetime.’ Well, I’m not certain about the hundred-year mark, but I can vouch for the joy and fulfillment of an older body (mine is 73) with the accumulation of experience-based knowledge. If repetition makes the master, and in my experience it does, then the longer we retain a healthy physical function, the closer we come to mastering the arts, professions and personal practices that give us a sense of wholeness, self-realization and pleasure.
Cognition
For over ten years I have worked with people afflicted with Parkinson’s Disease, which I have often compared to a highly accelerated aging process, including the loss of strength, balance, coordination and cognition. Arriving at a method of training in breath and movement that is effective in slowing down the inevitable progression of symptoms and the subsequent increases in medications.
ENDURANCE
Like a car on the highway, if the carburetor is working properly, the engine will run smoothly and efficiently and travel more miles, with less stress on the mechanical parts and fewer breakdowns. Same with the body. Correct diaphragmatic breathing, preferably through the nose, equates to a more efficient use of oxygen. Meaning a lower heart rate, lower blood pressure and many more years before something breaks; like the car, we travel more miles.
ABOUT RICHARD
My journey began at ten years old, when I suffered a hangman’s fracture, commonly known as a broken neck. My path has taken me from weight rooms to martial arts dojos, from university psychology classes to boxing rings, from the psychiatrist’s sofa to Pilates and yoga studios and finally to a personalized method of training that contains the essence of all these disciplines, pure and simple; the union of mind, body and spirit through a combination of conscious breath and movement, leading to strength, endurance, vitality and heightened awareness.
Finally, a program you can take on regardless of your age or your current physical condition. You can do this program in your bedroom,
your backyard, or in a gym.
People Talk
I’m 80. I feel great. WTF I’ve had my health challenges. My good fortune was to meet a younger fitness master, Richard La Plante. As strange as it sounds, the first thing he taught me was to breathe. Conscious breathing. Through the nose. I realized to my chagrin I was a mouth breather. I integrated that simple change into my daily life and my usual exercise like biking and hiking. This breathing stick, so simple, is amazing for the focus and infinite exercise variations it gives you. I call it my motivation stick as there it is next to my desk and I get up through the day and use it. I feel great. WTF. Breathe.
James BecketWriter/DirectorMy husband Tony has Parkinson's disease, and we learned that boxing might be particularly good training for his brain and body. We were very lucky to have Richard La Plante living nearby. Richard has gone above and beyond in developing a training regimen for Tony that both builds his strength, and focuses on his critical need to improve balance and coordination. The difference in Tony has been remarkable. I can clearly see how much better his movement and alertness is after he comes back from training with Richard. Overall, Tony has gained strength, stands straighter, is in less danger of falling, and walks with more confidence. He has even improved enough to cut back on his medication. Richard provides the kind of intensive, focused exercise that research shows can have a positive effect on Parkinson's symptoms.
Robin GerberAuthor/SpeakerI’ve been a bodybuilder for many years. As an ex police officer, strength, speed and endurance were always important. My best bench press was 400 pounds. Retired by a back injury Real Strength Now has been a fundamental part of my rehabilitation and recovery from surgery. It’s brought me back to the gym. Now, when I train with weights I add the diaphragmatic breath and other techniques that RSN teaches. My strength is returning, along with a greater understanding of how the body works and the importance of conscious diaphragmatic breathing.
Andy USouthern California police officer - RetiredI have been practicing and teaching yoga professionally for 25 years and think enough of Richard La Plante and the way he uses the Breathing Stick for breath and movement to invite him to teach a regular class at my Sacred Space Studio in Ojai, California. No matter what discipline you practice, his method of training will enhance and deepen your understanding of the way diaphragmatic breathing coordinates with the rhythms and natural motions of the human body.
Ingrid BoultingOwner
