The Family YMCA

1450 Iris St. Los Alamos, NM 87544
505-662-3100

Healing Through Community

Wellness programs, caregiver support, and weekend experiences that help youth and adults connect, recharge, and grow.

Stronger connections.
Practical support.

Healthier futures.

Support Across Generations

Community is part of how we get stronger

Healing Through Community is an ongoing initiative serving Los Alamos, Española, White Rock, and surrounding Northern New Mexico communities.

Through movement, education, shared experiences, and dependable opportunities to connect, participants can build supportive relationships and develop practical skills for everyday life.

Six Sundays at Y Express

Each session explores a different part of whole-person wellness.

Kristine Coblentz, mindful movement and yoga instructor
SEPTEMBER 13
Mindful Movement & Yoga with Kristine

Build strength, mobility, balance, and focus through foundational yoga, breathwork, and meditation. No prior experience required.

Dr. Desiree Cassell, pelvic floor workshop instructor
SEPTEMBER 20
Pelvic Floor Power with Desiree

Develop awareness and learn practical strategies that support strength, stability, posture, and healthy movement.


Dr. Desiree Cassell, PT, DPT

Women's Health & Pelvic Floor Specialist

Doctor of Physical Therapy, certified Women's Health Specialist, and founder of The Balanced Momtality, helping women feel strong, confident, and connected through every stage of life.

Creator of the Pelvic Floor, Core & More App, blending evidence-based physical therapy with holistic mind-body practices.

Specializes in:

  • Pelvic floor health
  • Core rehabilitation
  • Functional movement
  • Nervous system regulation

At the YMCA, Desiree helps make women's health education accessible while empowering women to move with confidence.

Mom of three • Podcast host • Nature lover • Loves lifting heavy.

Kate, nutrition workshop instructor
SEPTEMBER 27
Nutrition with Kate

Explore realistic ways to fuel your body and build sustainable nutrition habits.


Kate Cleveland

Certified Holistic Health & Nutrition Coach

Kate helps busy people cut through nutrition noise, build realistic routines, and feel better in their bodies without chasing perfection.

With a strong science background and a behavior-based approach to habit change, she believes lasting progress comes from small, sustainable steps rather than extreme solutions.

Passionate about:

  • Realistic nutrition habits
  • Sustainable lifestyle changes
  • Behavior-based coaching
  • Building supportive communities

Kate loves creating spaces where people can learn, connect, and encourage one another because meaningful change is easier when we're not doing it alone.

Reader • Home cook • Nature explorer • Adventuring with her husband and two adventurous daughters.

Corinn Simpkins, lifting fundamentals instructor
SEPTEMBER 27
Level Up Your Lift with Corinn

Refine form, posture, and lifting mechanics while building confidence.


Corinn Simpkins

Certified Personal Trainer (NCSF)

Corinn helps people build strength, improve mobility, and develop healthy habits that last. With more than 20 years of experience in group exercise and strength training, she believes fitness should feel approachable, empowering, and accessible to everyone.

She became a certified personal trainer in 2020 to reconnect with people through movement and create individualized programs that support every stage of life and every fitness level.

Specializes in:

  • Strength training
  • Senior fitness
  • Balance & mobility
  • Adaptive fitness
  • Corrective exercise
  • Sports nutrition

Corinn also holds certifications in group fitness, kettlebell fundamentals, TRX, and indoor cycling, tailoring every program to each person's goals and abilities.

Strength coach • Movement educator • Client-focused • Helping people move with confidence.

Tessa Dowell, breathwork instructor
OCTOBER 4
Breathwork with Tessa

Discover simple breathing techniques that help reduce stress, improve focus, and create a greater sense of calm and well-being.


Tessa Dowell

Integrative Health Coach & Breathwork Facilitator

After retiring from Los Alamos National Laboratory in 2015, Tessa began her wellness practice as an Integrative Health Coach, helping people reconnect with their inner wisdom through breathwork, stress management, mindset practices, nutrition, and movement.

Her passion for health and wellness began more than 35 years ago following a cancer diagnosis. That experience inspired a lifelong journey of learning and sharing tools that empower others to live healthier, more fulfilling lives.

Certified in:

  • Integrative Health Coaching (Institute for Integrative Nutrition)
  • Clinical Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT)
  • HeartMath Interventions
  • Conscious Connected Breathwork

For more than a decade, Tessa has guided workshops and one-on-one coaching, helping people develop practical tools that make navigating life's challenges with greater ease possible.

Wellness guide • Breathwork facilitator • Lifelong learner • Passionate about helping others thrive.

Jennifer, Sound Bath instructor
OCTOBER 18
Sound Bath with Jennifer

Slow down with a restorative experience using sound and vibration to encourage mindfulness and calm.


Jennifer

Personal Training & Wellness Coach

Jennifer is dedicated to helping people reconnect with their bodies, restore balance, and build sustainable strength for every stage of life. Her approach blends functional fitness, yoga therapy, mindfulness, and somatic practices into personalized wellness experiences.

She believes wellness should feel empowering—not overwhelming—and creates supportive, adaptable programs that meet people where they are while helping them move toward lasting change.

Specializes in:

  • Functional fitness
  • Yoga therapy
  • Mindfulness & somatic practices
  • Strength progression
  • Senior fitness & mobility
  • Support for injury recovery and chronic conditions

Safety, nervous system regulation, and long-term progress are at the heart of her coaching, helping clients build confidence, resilience, and healthy habits that fit their values and lifestyle.

Wellness coach • Movement educator • Mind-body advocate • Helping people thrive at every stage of life.

Jonah Mendelsohn, Feldenkrais Method instructor
OCTOBER 25
Awareness Through Movement® – the Feldenkrais Method® with Jonah

Use gentle guided movement to recognize habitual patterns and discover easier, more efficient ways to move.

For Parents, Guardians, and Supportive Adults

Care for the person who cares for everyone else

Caring for others can be meaningful, demanding, joyful, and exhausting, sometimes all in the same afternoon.

Upcoming opportunities may include wellness workshops, practical education, drop-in activities, caregiver–youth experiences, and full-day retreats.

Coming Soon

Caregiver Retreats

Restorative, full-day experiences will create room for caregivers to pause, connect, move, reflect, and explore practical wellness activities in a nature-based setting.

Selected retreats may include optional caregiver–youth activities centered on art, nature, creativity, and time together.

Dates, locations, eligibility, and registration details will be announced as plans are finalized.

Healing Through Community presents

THE TAKEOVER

There is more out there.
Come find it.

Every month, The Family YMCA partners with organizations across Los Alamos to create free experiences designed just for middle school students.

  • Some experiences get you outside.
  • Some help you create.
  • Some help you connect.
  • Some help you give back.

Every one is an opportunity to discover something new.

Every experience is completely free thanks to Healing Through Community and our community partners, making it easy for every middle school student to discover, connect, and belong.

GET OUTSIDE

Outdoor recreation, exploration, and nature-based activities.

MAKE SOMETHING

Art, creative projects, and hands-on experiences.

CONNECT

Games, social events, and positive time together.

GIVE BACK

Age-appropriate projects that serve the community.

EXPLORE & LEARN

STEM, skill-building, and unusual learning experiences.

October
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Saturday at the Y — a fun hangout for middle schoolers.

Event

THE TAKEOVER

Date

October 17

Time

6:00–8:00 PM

Location

YMCA Express

Pillars

CONNECT
MAKE SOMETHING

What's Waiting For You

  • Tabletop Games: Grab a seat and jump into a game together.
  • Flip 7: Push your luck by flipping cards for points—but reveal a duplicate number and you bust!
  • Hues and Cues: Give clever word clues and see who can guess your mystery color on a board of 480 shades.
  • Tapple: Race the timer to name something in a category and tap an unused starting letter.
  • Blank Slate: Fill in the blank and try to match another player’s answer without sharing any hints.
  • Telestrations: Sketch, pass, and guess as a simple word turns into a hilariously mixed-up drawing.
  • Qork: When the dice show seven or doubles, yank your cork away before it gets caught under the cup!
  • Lü Interactive Playground: Get moving with interactive play.
  • Decorate a baseball cap: Make it your own with a creative touch.
  • Diamond Art: Add some sparkle to your next creation.
  • Pizza: Take a break and enjoy a slice.
  • Smoothies: Sip something refreshing.
  • Chill Zone: Settle in, hang out, and enjoy time together.

Cost

FREE

Ages

12–14

November
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November image placeholder

Event

RESTORE & EXPLORE

Date

November 14

Time

2:00–4:00 PM

Location

Ashley Pond (tentative)

Partner

JJAB

Pillar

GET OUTSIDE

Description

A restorative afternoon outdoors reconnecting with nature.

Cost

FREE

December
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Event

GIVE BACK

Partner

EXIT Realty

Pillar

GIVE BACK

Description

Help wrap Toys for Tots gifts for local children.

Details

Coming Soon

Why The Takeover?

The Takeover isn't one event.

It's an opportunity to discover new interests, build friendships, give back to your community, and experience everything Los Alamos has to offer.

Every month is different.

Every experience is free.

Every teen belongs.

How the Y Strengthens Community

One initiative. Three kinds of impact.

YOUTH DEVELOPMENT

Young people build confidence, relationships, and practical skills through welcoming experiences designed for their stage of life.

HEALTHY LIVING

Youth and adults gain approachable ways to care for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.

SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Shared experiences connect neighbors and strengthen the support systems that help communities thrive.

Why Community Matters

Connection is a protective force

Young people and caregivers do better when they have dependable opportunities to connect, learn, move, and spend time with people who care.

Healing Through Community strengthens those connections before challenges become crises. The YMCA helps participants develop practical skills and supportive relationships they can carry into everyday life.

NEED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT?

This initiative does not provide clinical treatment or emergency services.

Call or text 988 or visit the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For immediate danger or a medical emergency, call 911.

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