wellness

The Yoga Studio Where You Come To Breathe

To cure a 5 a.m. wake-up, there was no better balm than an 8 a.m. slow yoga class with Nina Embiricos at Riga Yoga.

The hour-long session centers around what Embiricos calls “a precise framework.” Meaning attention to anatomy, spacial and bodily awareness, and a willingness to provide gentle correction to form to ensure no one injures themselves. The studio space itself is well-balanced and well-appointed, and gets beautiful morning light — so it is the perfect environment to get limber and energized before a long day of work.

Located in Salisbury, Conn., Embiricos opened Riga Yoga to the public in December of 2022—and though the business is in its beginning stages, Riga is already holding classes every day of the week. Ranging from prenatal yoga, to more standard Vinyasa, and into trauma-informed practices — Embiricos has set out to provide a space that is both welcoming to newcomers and in which more seasoned yogis would find opportunities to learn and grow.

“It’s a place for people to learn techniques. Whether you’re new to yoga or you’re experienced, you can come and refine your technique.

“But I also wanted Riga to be something more holistic than a fitness studio. I wanted it to include the breath and the mind. Where people could get peace for a little bit! We’re in a fight or flight mode all day long, responding to emails, and working. I wanted Riga to be a place where you can come for an hour, unplug, and be with yourself.”

It was clear to see that Embiricos is deeply thrilled to be a yoga instructor and excited to provide a space where yoga instructors and casual practitioners alike can find community. Having grown up in France and moved to New York City in her 20s, finding a regular yoga practice was revolutionary to Embiricos, and also involved a degree of trial and error.

“As someone who was really anxious in my head, it was a way to disconnect from those feeling and get centered and calm. To find a space within myself that felt safe and happy… And I was like, wow, this is life-changing!

“So what I wanted to do was offer a yoga practice to people that they can sustain. That just feels like it’s a longevity practice, that’s sustainable and joyful, and brings them centering and health in the long term. Where you can come, and then go back to your life, and there are no frills. That’s what I wanted for myself when I was a student and couldn’t find, and I’m hoping to offer that to people.”

The opening of Riga Yoga was preceded by years of hopping between studios and teaching extensively throughout the Tri-State area. Exiting that period of movement, and laying down roots in Salisbury was a simultaneously difficult, and clarifying experience for Embiricos — from which the positives have already begun to arrive in droves.

“The community here has been amazing. I opened the studio and they came, they showed up… That’s what I’m most proud of — the community we have managed to build in such a short time. I see the same faces every week, if not every day, and a lot of them tell me about the heightened sense of well-being they experience after taking a class. That makes it all worthwhile.”

Embiricos is committed to expanding Riga Yoga’s offerings as she builds the business, and emphasized the importance she places on bringing experienced, and curious instructors into the fold. Riga currently houses roughly four teachers that specialize in different yogic approaches, including Vinyasa, Hatha, Katonah, prenatal, and trauma-informed practices.

“That’s an amazing thing, right? I’m the owner and I get to learn from the people who come through the doors. Personality-wise, they’re amazing people. And then they have really clear teachings to offer. And they’re curious. We all come to each other’s classes, and we all learn from each other… I think the community is going to be so happy to have them.”

 

For more information on classes at Riga Yoga go to www.rigayoga.com.

Photo courtesy of Riga Yoga

Photo By Elias Sorich

Photo courtesy of Riga Yoga
wellness

Latest News

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

Speed cameras gain ground in Connecticut, stall in Dutchess County

A speed enforcement camera in New York City.

Photo courtesy NYC DOT

Speed cameras remain a tough sell across northwest Connecticut — and are still absent from local roads in neighboring Dutchess County.

Town leaders across northwest Connecticut are moving cautiously on speed cameras, despite a state law passed in 2023 that allows municipalities to install them. In contrast, no towns or villages in Dutchess County currently operate local automated speed-camera programs, even as New York City has relied on the technology for years.

Keep ReadingShow less
law enforcement

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible
In remembrance: Tim Prentice and the art of making the wind visible

There are artists who make objects, and then there are artists who alter the way we move through the world. Tim Prentice belonged to the latter. The kinetic sculptor, architect and longtime Cornwall resident died in November 2025 at age 95, leaving a legacy of what he called “toys for the wind,” work that did not simply occupy space but activated it, inviting viewers to slow down, look longer and feel more deeply the invisible forces that shape daily life.

Prentice received a master’s degree from the Yale School of Art and Architecture in 1960, where he studied with German-born American artist and educator Josef Albers, taking his course once as an undergraduate and again in graduate school.In “The Air Made Visible,” a 2024 short film by the Vision & Art Project produced by the American Macular Degeneration Fund, a nonprofit organization that documents artists working with vision loss, Prentice spoke of his admiration for Albers’ discipline and his ability to strip away everything but color. He recalled thinking, “If I could do that same thing with motion, I’d have a chance of finding a new form.”

Keep ReadingShow less
people
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Strategic partnership unites design, architecture and construction

Hyalite Builders is leading the structural rehabilitation of The Stissing Center in Pine Plains.

Provided

For homeowners overwhelmed by juggling designers, architects and contractors, a new Salisbury-based collaboration is offering a one-team approach from concept to construction. Casa Marcelo Interior Design Studio, based in Salisbury, has joined forces with Charles Matz Architect, led by Charles Matz, AIA RIBA, and Hyalite Builders, led by Matt Soleau. The alliance introduces an integrated design-build model that aims to streamline the sometimes-fragmented process of home renovation and new construction.

“The whole thing is based on integrated services,” said Marcelo, founder of Casa Marcelo. “Normally when clients come to us, they are coming to us for design. But there’s also some architecture and construction that needs to happen eventually. So, I thought, why don’t we just partner with people that we know we can work well with together?”

Keep ReadingShow less
architecture

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

‘The Dark’ turns midwinter into a weeklong arts celebration

Autumn Knight will perform as part of PS21’s “The Dark.”

Provided

This February, PS21: Center for Contemporary Performance in Chatham, New York, will transform the depths of midwinter into a radiant week of cutting-edge art, music, dance, theater and performance with its inaugural winter festival, The Dark. Running Feb. 16–22, the ambitious festival features more than 60 international artists and over 80 performances, making it one of the most expansive cultural events in the region.

Curated to explore winter as a season of extremes — community and solitude, fire and ice, darkness and light — The Dark will take place not only at PS21’s sprawling campus in Chatham, but in theaters, restaurants, libraries, saunas and outdoor spaces across Columbia County. Attendees can warm up between performances with complimentary sauna sessions, glide across a seasonal ice-skating rink or gather around nightly bonfires, making the festival as much a social winter experience as an artistic one.

Keep ReadingShow less
performances

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Tanglewood Learning Institute expands year-round programming

Exterior of the Linde Center for Music and Learning.

Mike Meija, courtesy of the BSO

The Tanglewood Learning Institute (TLI), based at Tanglewood, the legendary summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, is celebrating an expanded season of adventurous music and arts education programming, featuring star performers across genres, BSO musicians, and local collaborators.

Launched in the summer of 2019 in conjunction with the opening of the Linde Center for Music and Learning on the Tanglewood campus, TLI now fulfills its founding mission to welcome audiences year-round. The season includes a new jazz series, solo and chamber recitals, a film series, family programs, open rehearsals and master classes led by world-renowned musicians.

Keep ReadingShow less
education
google preferred source

Want more of our stories on Google? Click here to make us a Preferred Source.