We had the good fortune of connecting with Summer Dawn and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Summer, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
Authentic community relationships, connections, and collaborations are the biggest factors behind the success of Open Hearts Yoga Sanctuary & Crystal Boutique. We began as a yoga studio and crystal shop, and had no idea if the little lake town of Granbury, Texas was ready for somatic and vibrational healing. People came for the yoga and the crystals. Then they stayed for the self-discovery, the broad range of offerings centered on deep healing and emotional freedom, and most of all the spiritual family and community culture. What began as a big risk in a small town is now a thriving, open minded, open hearted, holistic wellness community full of authentic relating, deep connection, and village style emotional support. We are so grateful for over six years of bringing people together through the courage to be vulnerable, & the willingness to see and be seen, hear and be heard, love and be loved. Year seven has us expanding into our brand new country retreat center where Open Hearts will be providing even more exceptional wellness experiences full of restoration & rejuvenation for the mind, body, and spirit.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Open Hearts Yoga Sanctuary & Crystal Boutique is a full service holistic/spiritual/metaphysical wellness center with seeking the God of YOUR understanding as the foundational belief system. We love and accept people of all religions and all faiths, or lack thereof. We seek only to help others find their most authentic selves, and only they can know who that is. We cannot define another’s highest truth, or their relationship with a higher power.

Sound bath, drum circle, classes, retreats, and community celebrations at Open Hearts are steeped in ages old traditions and rituals. When I lead ceremony, I love to draw from the beautiful, loving energy of nature religions such Wicca, Druidry, and indigenous practices. For instance, this Easter, we will be honoring that Christ has risen, as well as going into the ancient teachings of the Celtic holiday Ostara that celebrates spring, the fertility of Mother Earth, and the fertile abundance and nurturing our beautiful earth brings into our lives. We will take a deep dive into the wisdom teachings of Spring Equinox which brings awareness to the balance of light and shadow, within and without. We take the symbolism of the turning of the wheel (the calendar) and use it to apply ancient wisdom to today’s world. It’s powerful work.

Our main focus at Open Hearts is all inclusive spiritual community. We will continue to provide a space of unconditional love and acceptance for all those seeking the God of their understanding, inner peace, and a healthy, sustainable way of life. Yoga, meditation, and breathwork take one to a space of inner clarity where you can commune with your higher power, your inner wisdom, your purest discernment. So, yoga, meditation, and breathwork are the focus of our every day practices in the studio. Yoga keeps the body supple and limber, allowing for healthy range of motion at every age and stage of life. Often people come for the fitness aspect of yoga, then stay with the practice when they realize how wonderful they have begun to feel physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We do not do any “spiritual” teaching during class, but the connection one makes from the physical body to the spiritual body during yoga cannot be denied. Breathwork strengthens the nervous system, increases lung capacity, and releases natural dopamine and other feelgood endorphins. Meditation calms the mind so that we may move into a space of emotional freedom, freeing ourselves of anxiety, depression, and other negative fixations. These are daily practices that have been effective in emotional freedom and mental well-being for over 5,000 years.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
Granbury is a little lake town 45 minutes southwest of Fort Worth. When I pick friends up from the airport, I like to take them all over! There’s so much to do all the way from the Oklahoma State Line, west across DFW, then further west all the way to our sweet little town, and the neighboring town of Glen Rose. We’d definitely catch some live music wherever Daniel Katsük is playing…and some of those favorite places are The Cicada Fort Worth, Grease Monkey Arlington, & Martin House Brewing Company. For the kids, I LOVE Wild Acre Restaurant and Beer Garden, and the many interactive children’s museums in DFW. Heading west into Granbury, we absolutely have to spend a day or two in Historic Granbury Town Square! We’ve been voted best historical town in America three years running, and you have to visit to see why! And, of course Open Hearts is a destination all in itself whether you’re coming into town for a retreat or a day trip, you can spend all day looking at the museum worthy crystals, perusing our public library, and catching our daily classes and workshops. Continuing on into Glen Rose, Big Rock Park is one of my favorite places on the planet. Of course, I’m a rockhound! So climbing those big boulders is one of my favorite past times!

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Kim Cummins Kemp paved the way for open minded spirituality & holistic wellness in Granbury, Texas. Lacey Dian Camp created the online spiritual wellness community called Granbury Area Lightworkers. Kim and Lacey’s connections and support laid the foundation for Open Hearts to take root. The Fantastic Five was a group of women who tirelessly came together and volunteered 24/7 for three months to get our doors open by New Year’s Day in 2019. We have a brick and mortar building for the community to gather because these incredible women laid the groundwork.

Website: https://openheartssanctuary.com/

Instagram: @openheartscrystalboutique

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/summer-darvischi/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Summer13Dawn

Image Credits
Payton Quinn Baker, Ruth Porter Photography, VT Portraits

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.