We’re looking forward to introducing you to Ebony Wheeler. Check out our conversation below.
Good morning Ebony, it’s such a great way to kick off the day – I think our readers will love hearing your stories, experiences and about how you think about life and work. Let’s jump right in? What do the first 90 minutes of your day look like?
I love a good slow morning, my day usually starts with a silent meditation in bed, then intentional tea making. I create a special tea blend and conduct a tea ceremony for myself, every morning— this sets the tone for my day. These days everything is a ritual and that includes my skincare routine and self love mirror work. Of course there are days where I’m laying around indulging in the art of doing nothing!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Ebony Wheeler, founder of Brown Eyed Girl Yoga. I create intentional spaces for people to slow down, reconnect with their bodies, and experience stillness and presence. This work comes from lived experience, everything I share is something I’ve had to practice and learn for myself.
2025 marks nine years of me teaching yoga, guiding communities through practices that center rest, reflection, and embodied movement. Alongside yoga, I host Sound meditations, and offer Thai yoga massage as a way to help people release tension, restore balance, and feel held and supported.
My work spans from intimate retreats and community offerings to youth programming in Washington, DC, where I use mindfulness, movement, and journaling to help young people build emotional awareness and trust themselves. I also partner with organizations to bring corporate wellness experiences that support teams in slowing down, recalibrating, and showing up more grounded.
I’m currently preparing to host my third international Rest and Restore Yoga retreat in Bali, Indonesia. I’m also putting the finishing touches on my book, The 3R Method™: Recognize, Reflect, and Restore Your Way Out of Burnout, born from the workshops and classes I’ve led in my Rest and Restore series. It’s a workbook designed to help people not just learn about the seven types of rest but truly embody them through mindset-shifting activities, reflections, and practical tools that create lasting change.
Everything I offer is built from real practice, community, and creating spaces where people can feel safe enough to surrender.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
Hustle culture. I’ve spent most of my life moving fast, using busyness as a shield from facing what was real. I was raised in a lineage of women who didn’t have the luxury to pause, who believed rest meant laziness and that worth was measured by output. Hustle was rooted in lack and survival, passed down like an inheritance.
But somewhere along the way, I started to understand that real wealth lives in alignment, rest, and boundaries. It looks like pouring into my own cup and actually drinking from it… sometimes putting a lid on it to protect what’s mine. The pandemic forced me to stop. In that stillness, I saw clearly that I’d been hustling backwards. That part of me has served its purpose. It got me here. But it can’t lead me anymore.
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
I love you. None of this is your fault. You are beautiful, powerful, and will grow to change the dynamic of this family. You are a change maker, even when it doesn’t feel like it yet. Things get so much better. I would hold her close and remind her to embrace every part of herself , the light and the dark, the beauty and the flaws—because she was and always has been ENOUGH.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
One of the biggest lies in the wellness industry is that going to a yoga class will make everything better. Whatever you’re carrying doesn’t disappear just because you unrolled a mat. If you’re not doing the work off the mat, it’ll still be waiting for you when class is over.
Another lie is that healing is soft and pretty. It’s not. It’s messy, hard, uncomfortable, loud and quiet all at once. It’s not just a few journal entries or endless plant medicine ceremonies. Real healing means going to the root. Understanding your triggers, where they come from, and choosing to keep leading with love even when you have every reason to shut down.
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I hope people say I was real. That I met them exactly where they were without making them feel like they had to change to be worthy of love or care. They’d say I was committed to changing the story for my son, my siblings, and my family. That I poured into this work so others could have a real chance to heal their wounds.
Little Ebony went through a lot. She wasn’t properly nourished. She experienced loss, abandonment, and abuse. But despite it all, I didn’t let it break me. I became the healer and the light that little me needed.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Browneyedgirlyoga.com
- Instagram: Browneyedgirlyoga
- Facebook: Ebony Wheeler
