Durham studio combines yoga, dance and mental health to bolster community wellness

They’re overcoming many hurdles of running a small business while establishing wellness through movement in the community.

“The power of this practice is huge. The power of creativity. The power of movement,” said Josephine McCrann.

“I just felt overall that there was just a missing piece in our community,” said Courtney Om, who also teaches dance at the studio.

It’s described as a hub of movement and creativity for any and everyone. The height of the pandemic, though, presented set back after setback.

“Everything was shut down and we were like 'OK this will be just for a week, two weeks,'” said McCrann.

After pivoting and shifting in every way possible to stay open, on Christmas Day last year, a car crashed into their building. They were forced to pivot once again.

“I felt like 'OK. Well this is it.' After COVID, like how are we…How do we move forward?,” asked McCrann.

But they did move forward. In January, the community rallied behind them as they worked to find a new location.

They relocated to Morehead Avenue, surrounded by an underserved community, with a bigger goal.

“To create a place and a platform for people to really come to heal, to investigate themselves, to let go of things that are going through, to dive into things that they are going through” said Om.

Since reopening in March, the two are using the space to inspire, and make health and wellness more accessible to all.

“We’re happy to be here. We’re excited and working really hard to integrate with our community here around us,” added McCrann.

“It’s a historically black and brown community. So we want to make sure that we are making a space that is accessible and open and free,” she said.

“Where any mover, any walk of life, with any ability, with every ability can come in,” said Om.

Threehouse Studios holds a variety of different classes throughout the week. It also offers a program for children to get involved in.

Concern over the Delta variant is the next hurdle to overcome. They plan to take it all one step at a time.

The owners are keeping class sizes limited and masks are required inside the studio. If anyone feels they need to unmask during a class, they ask for proof of vaccination.

If you know a Change Maker in your community, send us an email at FORWARD@WRAL.COM.