Following one's spiritual path

By Karen Braynard
NH Mirror Contributor

If you don’t think a person can change her life and the lives of others with just positive thoughts and energy, then you haven’t met Tonia Ricci, owner of the Self-Awakening Yoga Studio in Salem.

Ricci said a neck injury and degenerative disc disease put an end to her love of weight lifting and competitive body building, but brought her to where she is now.

“My physical therapist recommended I turn to yoga to relieve the
pain,” she said. “Although I received physical benefits from
yoga, I found an unexpected spiritual path there as well.”

Ricci said she realized this was her calling, so she studied under several local
teachers in New Hampshire and Massachusetts for more than four years. She
also attended the Nosara Institute in Costa Rica, where she spent a month
learning how to teach yoga to others. With her positive energy flowing, she
had a job offer just days after her return.

Ricci taught yoga at many studios and gyms across southern New Hampshire
and the Andover Senior Center in Massachusetts. All the while, though,
Ricci dreamed of owning her own studio.

“I’d drive past empty buildings and imagine my studio there,” she said.
“Then one day Mike (her husband) said, ‘Let’s go look.’ My dream was
beginning to become reality.”

They looked at five or six locations and narrowed them down to a former
Salvation Army office on South Broadway.

“My husband was so supportive,” Ricci said. “Together we renovated the
building to provide a smooth flow for our clients and as large an exercise

room as possible. We painted, laid a bamboo floor and put up walls.” Tonia Ricci is the owner of Self-Awakening Yoga Studio in Salem. (NH Mirror/Karen Braynard)

The result is a beautiful, calming studio, charged with positive energy.
Along with teaching yoga, Ricci also has years of experience in retail and
customer service that lend well to running her studio. And, although he doesn’t teach yoga, Ricci’s husband is very involved in the business. I leave the Web design and accounting to him, and together we work on marketing,” she said. “We’ve been open for just over a year now, and business seems to be pretty steady.” Ricci now also teaches yoga to preschool and elementary-age children. “Teaching children is a lot of fun for me,” she said, “and it helps kids improve their self-esteem, boost their imagination and improve their concentration – not to mention that yoga is great for their health as well.” Ricci said what she enjoys most about the path she chose is the energy and the chance to do what she loves. “I’ve always told my kids to find what they love and pursue it, even if it doesn’t make you a lot of money,” she said. “Doing what we love is what we’re supposed to be doing.”

For more information on the Self-Awakening Yoga Studio, call 894-7353 or visit www.selfawakening.net.