Paula Gold recalls with crystal-clear clarity the day she bolted upright in bed at 3 a.m.

“The Big G says open a yoga studio,” remembers Gold, who pinpoints this epiphany to 10 months ago. “It’s like the story of Jonah when the Big G tells him to go to Ninevah, and Jonah’s like, ‘I don’t want to go to Ninevah.’ But the Big G says, ‘No, really, go to Nineveh, trust me.’ But Jonah does whatever he can to get out of this and winds up being swallowed by a whale. 

“So to avoid the whole being swallowed by a giant mammal in the middle of the ocean, I thought I would go ahead and listen the first time.”

The point of the story: Gold believes her decision to open a community-minded yoga studio was divinely inspired. 

“It wasn’t just a yoga studio,” she explains. “It came as a complete whole concept — where it should be, how it should be and what it should look like. The only thing I didn’t have was a name.”

That came soon: Tikun. 

“One of the most important tenets of Judaism is tikkun olam, to make the world better when we leave it than it was before we came,” says Gold, who belongs to Congregation Shaare Emeth. “So it’s up to each of us to decide what we can do to make it better. This (studio) is my 2,000 square feet of saving the world. What more appropriate thing could there be than for me to name it to heal or to repair?”

Gold’s Tikun yoga studio, which opened in February, is located at 8375 Olive Blvd. in University City. It’s available to anyone who wants to practice yoga, with classes for devotees as well as ones for beginners, pregnant women, children, young adults and seniors. There’s even a class for those whose first language is Spanish. 

Up to 30 percent of each class is reserved for women who have been abused, are recovering addicts and/or are homeless, at no charge. Typically, an hour-long class costs $10, though Gold offers various packages, including 12 classes for $100. 

“I wanted to create Tikun in order to build a safety net and network for women so that as you’re doing these wonderful poses you can look to the left and to the right and see women who are doctors and lawyers and accountants and homeless and addicts and survivors. We are all on this hot wet rock together and we will help each other. 

“It was always part of Tikun to make space for those who couldn’t afford it.”

Tikun is comprised of two rooms. One is a large studio where the classes take place. Another somewhat smaller room, replete with a shabby chic couch and comfy chairs, houses Gold’s office — which is essentially a desk — and serves as a hangout before and after class.

Last week, dotting the periphery of the hangout space were bags filled with donations — canned food, clothing, art supplies, books and the like — which will be taken to an organization called S.H.E.R.A.H. (Sisters Helping Each Other Reach A Higher Height). Gold says the nonprofit operates the only safe house in St. Louis for women of color who have experienced sexual violence, including human trafficking, and/or chronic homelessness. 

One of the pillars in the studio space doubles for what Gold calls “the giving tree,” where people can sponsor classes for those who cannot afford them. Gold also welcomes donations, both supplies and cash, for S.H.E.R.A.H. as well as an organization in Madison County, Ill. helping people with AIDS.

She hopes to expand Tikun’s outreach to other organizations that help those in need. But right now, she says, Tikun is relatively new and she doesn’t want to over-extend its capabilities. 

“I really want to build community,” explains Gold, who jokes that she’s one of 11 Jews living in Overland. “I want it to be that no matter what you look like or what your abilities are, there is a place for you here. 

“We are all here to learn from one another that each of us and our stories are just as valid and that not only will you gain something physically from classes but also spiritually, emotionally and mentally.”

Gold seems to know of what she speaks. The loquacious 48-year-old, with curly gray hair that falls to her shoulders, apparently has had more lives than her three cats combined. 

Growing up as an only child in University City, she describes her relationship with her parents, who are now deceased, as “challenging.” As a young adult, she says she battled an eating disorder and was “very substance-friendly.” She also says she was sexually assaulted by a former boyfriend and physically abused by another, who was a drug addict.

“I am thankful because without him I would not have known my own strength and that I am a survivor,” she says. “I learned that any day, no matter how bad it is, is only 24 hours and if you can survive those 24 hours, then there is a new day.”

For 20 years, Gold worked as an optician in the St. Louis area. When she walked into work in February 2017, her boss said he was filing for bankruptcy and closing the business.

“I retired for a year and as it turns out, I really sucked at that immensely,” she adds, laughing. 

Two years ago, Gold, who says she was “morbidly obese, smoked, drank and never met a cheeseburger I wouldn’t consider,” signed up for a yoga class at the Overland Community Center. She took the class primarily to help her with balance but it wound up jumpstarting a much healthier lifestyle. She has since lost 80 pounds. 

“One of the greatest things yoga has given me was the ability to make friends with my body again and not view it as the enemy,” she says. 

Gold doesn’t teach any of the yoga classes at Tikun but she takes them all, which usually translates into two or three hours a day. 

“Some of the best yogis are teaching at Tikun,” she says. “My goal is to grow this business so that it can be self-funding and we can do more in the community. 

“I want us to bring our message to schools, crisis centers, women’s centers and correctional institutions so that we can reach the people who need us the most on a level where they are.”

 For more information, call 314-279-1002 or go to www.tikunyoga.com.