LEXINGTON, Ky. — Teresa Johnson worked in the automotive industry for 11 years before realizing she needed more control of her mind and body. She's now the founder and owner of Soulrebelex Wellness Center, where she emphasizes Hatha yoga and provides body butters and candles.

Johnson finds empowerment in teaching yoga classes out of her home rather than working a corporate 9 to 5 job. 

“Rooting ourselves down while rising up with a breath, it becomes very empowering,” Johnson said.

Teresa Johnson stands in front of the lit ’SoulRebelex’ sign. (Spectrum News 1/Diamond Palmer)

Johnson did not feel this same type of empowerment when she worked a 9-5 job. She spent 8 hours a day pounding concrete on her feet while working in the automotive industry. This caused a detrimental strain on her mind, body and wellness. 

“By year 11, I had had three surgeries on my feet. I was very stressed out. I did not sleep at night. I was over anxious. I could not stop my mind,” she said.

The job she grew to love after graduating from Morehead State University in 2004 became the most draining part of her life. In 2014, Johnson had a terrible boating accident, triggering a wake-up call.

“I broke my humerus bone, and it is still a little bit hard to talk about. Sometimes I cry when I do. I try not to cry about it," she said. "And I tore my rotator cuff. 3 out of the four muscles that hold it together were completely detached.”

The incident forced Johnson to reevaluate her life. In the coming months, she went to numerous physical therapy appointments where she was advised to take up long and slow yoga classes.

“My best friend came with me because I needed to have my buddy. I was like, 'do you want to go to yoga?' She was like, ‘yeah, sure’. So we went to a gym yoga class, and it was a one hour class, that one hour changed my life," she said.

Johnson enrolled at the Lexington Healing Arts Academy in 2015, earning her certification for yoga and sound healing.

After years of successfully running her own yoga studio, the pandemic forced her to reevaluate another aspect of her life which was her business.

“When I doubted myself, my people rallied around and said, 'no way, no how. You are not shutting this thing down, we are going forward.'”

Johnson received generous donations from friends and family to keep her business doors open. She was able to move her brick-and-mortar studio to her home, creating a wellness center. In her studio, she focuses on healing the mind and the body with yoga, skin care and home care items for everyone walking through her doors. 

“I love watching people come in here as one person stuck, upset, sad, suffering, loss and watch them flourish. And just watching them create their best life," Johnson said.

From corporate life to teaching mindfulness, Johnson wants to remind herself and others coming to her wellness studio of one thing.

“I’m healing too, I’m not perfect. And I will never admit it,” she said.

Johnson offers mind and body yoga classes in-person and online multiple times a week. She plans to expand her home studio to an outdoor studio in the coming months. To find out more information about Soulrebelex you can go to their website or Facebook page.