By Keisa Sharpe | For The Birmingham Times
In a world that often prioritizes speed and productivity, Jamella Stroud offers a refreshing contrast. As owner of Sacred Soma Yoga Therapy in Birmingham, she encourages individuals to slow down, tune in, and reconnect with their bodies through somatic yoga, which utilizes a gentle and mindful approach to exercise that focuses on body awareness and sensation.
The objective, she said, is to bring people back into their bodies and practice more “authentic yoga.”
“Yoga, in itself, is somatic, [which is defined as ‘of, relating to, or affecting the body’],” Stroud explained. “In the West, however, yoga has become more, I would say, ‘colonized’, and the focus has shifted toward postures, doing challenging things, and making yoga more of an exercise.”
Stroud’s practice, rooted in the belief that the body holds the key to emotional and spiritual well-being, is gaining recognition in Birmingham and beyond. In her line of work, she uses exercises and techniques for a wide range of clients, including those who’ve experienced childhood trauma, suffered from anxiety and depression, and dealt with eating disorders.
“I believe it’s important for us to understand how these [traumatic] experiences show up in our body,” she said. “I help people understand where the trauma is [in their bodies] and how it’s impacting them on a physical level.”
Stroud begins her day with a “consistent” morning routine, including the practice of Ayurveda, defined as “a form of alternative medicine that is the traditional system of medicine of India and seeks to treat and integrate body, mind, and spirit using a comprehensive holistic approach, especially by emphasizing diet, herbal remedies, exercise, meditation, breathing, and physical therapy.”
“I wake up around 4:45 a.m. and practice an Ayurveda routine, which includes oil pulling and tongue scraping as I shower,” she said. Oil pulling is “an oral therapy used in the traditional Indian medicine system of Ayurveda in which certain types of oils are swished in the mouth for 20 minutes.” Tongue scraping involves the use of “a stainless steel V-shaped tool [to scrape the tongue] … and remove accumulated toxins from [the previous day’s] digestive activity, which can be seen on the tongue as a thin white coating.”
Stroud continued, “After the shower, I drink a glass of water to begin my digestive process. Then, I do something called a Kriya, [a term for a set of practices, mainly breath control techniques and exercises ]; this cleansing practice purifies my organs before I begin asana, the movement part, [or poses], of yoga. I practice asana for about 15 to 20 minutes. From there, I practice pranayama, [“methods to extend and expand vital life force energy through the deliberate control of respiration”], sometimes through nostril breathing, depending on what my body needs. After that, I have a daily meditation practice that lasts between five to 15 minutes, depending on when I need to leave the house.”
An Unusual Path
Stroud, 41, a Birmingham native, is the fourth child of four children; she has three siblings, two older brothers, one who’s deceased, and a sister. Stroud is single and has one daughter, who’s 21.
A graduate of Ensley High School and the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), Stroud also attended the Birmingham School of Law for a semester before transitioning careers into the tax industry. She also has been an avid student of yoga, practicing for about a decade with a focus its “yamas” (right-living guidelines) and “niyamas” (virtuous habits, behaviors and observances) before really getting into asana (postures).
In 2020, Stroud obtained her yoga teacher certification through an online program and attended Soul of Yoga, an internationally renowned yoga studio, in 2021 to become a yoga therapist.
“I went to Thailand to the International School of Massage to get my certification as a Thai yoga bodyworker in 2023 and finished my certification in 2023 from the School of the Soul of Yoga to be a yoga therapist,” she said.
In December 2023, Stroud was certified by the International Association of Yoga Therapists, an organization of thousands of professionals with a mission to advance yoga therapy as a recognized health profession. She received her certification in Thai yoga bodywork in Thailand.
“To deepen my understanding and training, I decided to get certified in Thai yoga bodywork,” she explained. “Although I could have done this in the [U.S.], I prefer learning from the original source. Since I was already going to Bali, [Indonesia], I extended my journey to Thailand to obtain my certification and information directly from the source.”
Stroud started yoga as part of a spiritual journey to heal from childhood trauma, “specifically sexual trauma,” she said.
“When I began the asana part of yoga, it was to support my anxiety, which stemmed from a past eating disorder. Although I was no longer actively struggling with the disorder, I still had a lot of anxiety. I started practicing yoga at a very low point in my life, seeking change after trying many other things. Yoga was the different approach I needed.”
She began with hot yoga once a week and said she felt different every time she was on the mat. Hot yoga is “practiced in heated rooms with the temperature usually between 85 and 105 degrees Fahrenheit.”
“It was a euphoric feeling. Over time, I felt called to pursue a career in yoga to support others,” Stroud said.
“Yoga therapy felt like the natural path for me. After learning about it, I pursued it immediately,” she added. “My yoga therapy training was somatic based, focusing on using traditional yoga practices for healing rather than just postures. This was truly transformative for me, and that’s how I got into somatic yoga.”
Deeper Connections
When she’s not meeting with individual clients or leading group sessions, Stroud also organizes annual somatic yoga retreats in Bali, and those are by design.
“We hold an annual retreat in Bali called the Nurture Retreat. I chose Bali because its energy is very different,” she said. “I believe sometimes we need to step away from our usual lives to experience deeper healing, and Bali has been that place for me. My intention has always been to invite others—women, men, and seekers—to join this journey of healing outside their normal lives.
“I’ll also be offering retreats in Peru, [in South America], and St. Lucia, [in the Caribbean], as these are places where I have personally experienced transformation and healing. I like giving people the opportunity to fully immerse themselves in a different environment and culture. This allows them to see, hear, and experience something different, facilitating internal transformation and becoming a different version of themselves.”
By cultivating a deeper connection with the body, individuals can release physical tension, reduce stress, and enhance overall well-being, Stroud said.
“The body is a brilliant communicator,” she explained. “It holds the wisdom of our experiences. Somatic yoga provides a space to listen to the body’s messages and respond with compassion and care.”
Stroud’s Sacred Soma Yoga Therapy has operated out of Olive Branch Mind and Body Suites, a co-working space for professionals in mental health or bodywork owned by Lamar and Tiffany Stewart. Lamar owns Life Touch Massage, and Tiffany owns Story House Counseling. These suites were created to offer a workspace for others in these fields. Stroud also offers group classes every Saturday at Grindhouse Gym from 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Olive Branch and Grindhouse are both located in Birmingham.
Exhale to Excel
In addition to her practice, Stroud conducts the Exhale to Excel program, which is designed to help Birmingham City Schools (BCS) students enact a mindful approach to navigate tense situations.
“I created this program while studying yoga therapy, inspired by research on the impact of yoga and my own personal experiences. I realized how vital these tools would have been for me growing up, helping me manage stress, anxiety, anger, fear, and emotions, and learn emotional regulation,” she said.
Stroud saw an opportunity to offer the program to children from the communities, “where I grew up,” she said.
“Emotional regulation is not taught in schools but is crucial for life,” she explained. “Yoga provides these tools through social-emotional learning, making it a great fit for educational settings. The program aligns with both social-emotional learning and yoga practices, including physical aspects through asana.”
“We work weekly in schools between Birmingham and Fairfield. We’re currently at 11 schools in Birmingham and three in Fairfield, with plans to expand. Feedback from students, faculty, and staff has been overwhelmingly positive,” she said.
A video on her website features several students recounting how Stroud’s yoga sessions help them in everyday life. Some of the testimonials include: “What I like about yoga is that it keeps me focused.” “I like yoga because it helps me control my anger issues.” “One thing I like about yoga is it helps me calm my nerves.”
To learn more about Jamella Stroud or her practice, visit https://www.sacredsomayogatherapy.com; you can also send and email to info@exhaletoexhaleyoga.com or jamila@exhaletoexhaleyoga.com.
