|One Soul Yoga
One Soul Yoga & Wellness Center in Sulphur Springs has been awarded a $10,000 grant through the Texas Rural Women Grant program offered through the Jane Nelson Institute for Women’s Leadership’s Center for Women Entrepreneurs at Texas Woman’s University.
This inaugural grant was offered state-wide and awarded to 35 woman- owned businesses in select rural areas in Texas. The program supports economic development activity in rural Texas by enabling rural, woman-owned small businesses to undertake new and innovative projects.
DeAnna McDearmont, co-owner and instructor at One Soul Yoga, is a TWU alumni. She applied for the grant to help make some improvements to the studio. The funds will be used for a small half-bathroom, expansion of the outdoor yoga platform and additional parking. These projects are slated to begin at the studio July 17.
One Soul Yoga, a local, women-owned and operated yoga studio and wellness center, opened in 2019. The studio’s goal is to bring the community a place to experience yoga in a non-competitive and encouraging space.
One Soul offers a wide range of classes for all skill levels that foster mindfulness and physical well-being. Many classes at One Soul are trauma-informed, which aims to create a supportive and non-threatening environment for those who have experienced and/ or recovering from trauma experiences. One Soul is operated by DeAnna Mc-Dearmont, Leah Conner, Rachel Finney and Allison Martin.
In addition, One Soul offers pop-up classes, workshops, special events, women-only retreats and Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher training on a regular basis. The in-person yoga teacher training is the only program of its kind in the area. Their wellness area offers services such as sound healing, massage, reiki and life-coaching. In addition, One Soul has a small retail shop inside offering yoga gear, books, crystals, jewelry and local handmade goods from local artists. They are located at 1008 Main Street in an inviting, home-like environment.
One Soul is honored to be one of the recipients for this grant and to take part in the CWE program.
“We are so thrilled and honored to receive this inaugural Texas Rural Women Grant,” McDearmont said. “There are so many worthy local and women- owned businesses in our area. I believe as a community it is very important to support and help keep these small businesses going.”
She continued: “We opened One Soul Yoga in 2019, right before COVID hit and we spent many months unsure if our little studio would make it. However, with the community’s support and help, we made it through and have experienced growth beyond what we imagined. This grant will enable us to make some improvements on our property that we have needed for some time as we continue to expand and grow.”