JULIE SEERY: CREATING A WAVE OF WELLNESS

By Anna Hagen, marketing director at the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties

Photography by Nate Mickelberg Images

At 12:00 p.m. sharp every Wednesday, Julie Seery is performing planks and forward folds in a sunlit studio at the YMCA in downtown Fargo. She leads a yoga class of health-seekers looking for a mid-week meditation and relaxation session. "Namaste" she whispers with her head down at the end of each class, which means “The light in me honors the light in you.” The whole group of relaxed and detoxified yogis mutter back – “Namaste.”

Seery, vice president of program and member services at the YMCA of Cass and Clay Counties, is a Minnesota native who moved to Fargo for love in 2012. After joining the Y family, she found a whole lot more. She is grateful for her yoga students and for the opportunity to share her passion for health and wellness with others in the community.

In addition to teaching yoga since her debut at the Y, she has mobilized her staff to implement and grow programs in areas such as personal training, nutrition, endurance, athletic sports performance and women’s fitness. She created Women’s FIT Camp – a weekend health and fitness camp for women of all ages and fitness levels to discover the power to improve their health through fitness, nutrition and stress management. These wellness programs are flourishing under her lead and are educating members and participants on healthy lifestyles around the principle that there is a oneness of mind, body and spirit.

Members at the Y love the new adult wellness opportunities. Personal trainers are now on site to help define fitness needs and create personal exercise plans. A registered dietician is also on