POP Santa Fe Community Home Page

Last updated on August 20, 2026.

A quick overview of Parkinson’s Disease from the Parkinson’s Foundation and the World Parkinson’s Congress

POP Santa Fe is a thriving hub of movement, connection, and hope – open six days a week and dedicated to supporting people living with Parkinson’s disease. It is Northern New Mexico’s premier center for Parkinson’s wellness, collaboration, and community.

This site provides information about our community support groups and related activities.
If you’re not on our mailing list, please subscribe!

For boxing and other in-gym classes, visit the POP Santa Fe Gym website.

PD Cafe

PD Cafe is our weekly in-person support group meeting. Drop by the Gym for informal conversations. Certain meetings will have a speaker, usually on the second Thursday of the month.  Otherwise, the meeting is open discussion ....

Especially For Care Partners

Support group gatherings especially for those caring for someone with Parkinson's. Some of the meetings are at the Memory Care Alliance in Santa Fe, others are on Zoom facilitated by the PMD Alliance.

Especially for Young Onset

Connect with others who truly understand the unique challenges of Young Onset Parkinson's in this welcoming, retired psychologist with YOPD-led support group.

(Register at PMDAlliance)

PD Clubhouse

PD Clubhouse is a monthly activity that is hosted by POP Santa Fe. It usually meets on the last Saturday of each month. Each month features a different activity!

Yoga For Parkinsons

This class focuses on alignment, posture, balance, strength, and flexibility. Heather incorporates yoga breathing techniques that help with relaxation, anxiety, and also digestive/elimination issues that are common to PD.

Tai Chi Chih

T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) is a moving meditation that includes 19 gentle, graceful movements and a pose.  TCC can improve leg strength, balance, coordination and provide a greater sense of mental clarity and emotional stability.   https://taichichih.org/
Pay what you can.

Pickleball

Pickleball is perfect for people with Parkinson’s.  Two activities people with Parkinson’s can do to slow down the progress of their disease, or even reverse the symptoms, is to exercise and participate in social activities.  Pickleball addresses both.

The sessions at Genoveva Chavez Center are free to GCCC members, and a nominal cost ($1-$4) for seniors who are not members.

Rock Climbing for PD

Indoor rock climbing is a total-body workout that requires problem solving in the moment. It's great exercise and open to everyone - Parkies, care partners, friends, volunteers and coaches. All participants must sign the waiver. Many thanks to Andre, the owner of the SF Climbing Center, for setting this up for us!

Announcements

  • POP Gym Expansion: August 15, 2026
    Here’s a new status update on the Gym!
  • 48th Annual Conference on Aging
    This year’s event will take place at the Glorieta Conference Center September 23 – 24 and is presented by the Aging and Long-Term Services Department (ALTSD). This year’s conference theme is “Caring Across Generations”. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in informative sessions, recreational activities, and get connected with important resources.
  • Stress-Busting Program for Family Caregivers starts 9/22/2026
    The Stress-Busting Program (SBP) for Family Caregivers™ is a program that provides support to family caregivers of people with chronic illness. It is proven to:
    • Reduce caregiver stress
    • Reduce anxiety
    • Reduce anger/hostility
    • Improve quality of life

    The program runs for 9 weeks, 90 minutes per week, via Zoom. Classes meet 12:30-2:00pm. Registration is required.

Upcoming Events

Indoor Pickleball

September 9 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm MDT

Pickleball combines exercise and social interaction, so it is perfect for people with Parkinson’s. There's no charge for the Pickleball session, but the daily admission fee to GCCC (typically $1.00 for seniors on Wednesday) will need to be paid.

Find out more »

PD Cafe with Karen St. Clair: Diet

September 10 @ 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm MDT

Karen St. Clair

Karen will lead a discussion on best diets for people with PD along with grocery shopping tips.

Find out more »

Indoor Pickleball

September 14 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm MDT

Pickleball combines exercise and social interaction, so it is perfect for people with Parkinson’s. There's no charge for the Pickleball session, but the daily admission fee to GCCC (typically $4.00 for seniors) will need to be paid.

Find out more »

Yoga For Parkinsons

September 14 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm MDT

Heather Faucher

This class focuses on alignment, posture, balance, strength, and flexibility. Heather incorporates yoga breathing techniques that help with relaxation, anxiety, and also digestive/elimination issues that are common to PD. There are no prerequisites for this class, but it is helpful to be able to get up and down from the floor with moderate ease, although Heather and any support volunteers can help with this. This class is very practical (no woo-woo chanting) and taught in English (as opposed to Sanskrit.) A yoga mat is recommended but not required. Care partners are welcome. Namaste, everyone!

Heather Faucher has worked in the fitness industry for 25 years, teaching cardio kickboxing, group cycling (Spinning), group weight lifting, yoga, core training, and as a personal trainer. She also has a brown belt in Seido (closed fist) karate. 

Find out more »

Tai Chi Chih taught by Greg Berg

September 15 @ 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm MDT

T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) is a moving meditation that includes 19 gentle, graceful movements and a pose.  TCC can improve leg strength, balance, coordination and provide a greater sense of mental clarity and emotional stability.  It can help keep you centered and provide a deeper sense of well-being. The practice is easy to learn and easy to practice.  TCC was originated by Justin Stone in 1974 in Albuquerque.  Justin also taught comparative meditation at the University of New Mexico. See  https://taichichih.org/ for more information.

Find out more »

PMDA: YOPD Connections Group

September 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm MDT

Connect with others who truly understand the unique challenges of Young Onset Parkinson's in this welcoming, retired psychologist with YOPD-led support group sponsors by the PMD Alliance (PMDA). Share experiences, gain practical insights, and build meaningful connections with a community that gets it. Meets 1st and 3rd Tuesdays at 5PM PDT. Register at PMDAlliance.

Find out more »

Indoor Pickleball

September 16 @ 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm MDT

Pickleball combines exercise and social interaction, so it is perfect for people with Parkinson’s. There's no charge for the Pickleball session, but the daily admission fee to GCCC (typically $1.00 for seniors on Wednesday) will need to be paid.

Find out more »

PD Cafe with Karen St. Clair

September 17 @ 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm MDT

PD Cafe is now our weekly in-person support group meeting! Certain meetings will have a speaker, usually on the second Thursday of the month. Otherwise, the meeting is open discussion where you can bring the topic of your choice, provide your wisdom and suggestions to others and share information.

The experts are in the room!! Facilitated by Karen St. Clair.

Find out more »

Future events …