{"id":17294,"date":"2020-01-09T09:30:18","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T14:30:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=17294"},"modified":"2020-05-07T10:31:50","modified_gmt":"2020-05-07T14:31:50","slug":"brain-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/brain-food\/","title":{"rendered":"Brain Food"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; width: 100%; height: 326px;\" src=\"\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.html?d=wg20_flipbook_for_issuu.com&amp;pageNumber=46&amp;u=portlandmagazine\" width=\"300\" height=\"150\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">It\u2019s never too late to learn some<b> new tricks<\/b>.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\">Winterguide 2020<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><em>By Sofia Voltin<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-17323\" src=\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/WG20-BrainFood-300x180.jpg\" alt=\"WG20 BrainFood\" width=\"300\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/WG20-BrainFood-300x180.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/WG20-BrainFood-200x120.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/WG20-BrainFood.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">R<\/span><span class=\"s1\">emember the days of piano lessons, gymnastics, ballet, and karate classes? Childhood wasn\u2019t your only opportunity to learn and try new things. Try something different. Learn a new skill to further your career. Or check off a life-long dream from your bucket list. There are unique and exciting classes for adults offered almost everywhere\u2014if only you look.<\/span><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Mind &amp; Body<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI break down barriers with yoga classes that are different or silly,\u201d says instructor Ashley Flowers. \u201c<strong>Standup Paddleboard Yoga<\/strong> is one of the most relaxing and rejuvenating ways to do yoga. I bring a bit of summer into the winter with SUP Yoga in the pool. People get comfortable on a board without worrying about wind and waves. It helps build the confidence and skills to later get out and explore the practice on the ocean and lakes.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">Riverton Community Pool, 1600 Forest Avenue, Portland. ashleyflowersyoga.com. Five-week session $100 for Portland residents. Drop-in if space allows for $26.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">Let\u2019s run away. Fast. <strong>The Sellam Circus School<\/strong> will get you ready. Co-founder Amity Stoddard says. \u201cPeople of mixed abilities join our classes. Our oldest student is 71, and she takes the <strong>Aerial Trapeze<\/strong> class. We base most of the classes on building skills to improve coordination, strength, and flexibility.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s1\">Whether you\u2019re looking for something more fun than a gym, or considering a circus career, \u201cthere\u2019s room here to take it as far as you want. One of our students just joined <strong>Cirque du Soleil\u2019s<\/strong> <em>R.U.N.<\/em> in<br \/>\nLas Vegas.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">40 Main Street, Biddeford. 502-2589, thesellamcircus.com. Monthly Memberships start at $95 per month. $195 for 8-week sessions. Drop-in options available. <\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">Boxing, wrestling, Aikido, judo, and karate come together at <strong>Krav Maga Maine<\/strong>. The Israeli military self-defense and fighting system is known for its focus on real-world situations. Like all martial arts, Krav Maga teaches students to avoid physical confrontation. But, if you\u2019re trapped, it will teach you to finish a fight as quickly\u2014and aggressively \u2014as possible.<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">34 Rainmaker Drive, Portland. 664-4639, kravmagamaine.com. $100 per month for access to all classes. $20 drop-in on Sundays and $10 for Tuesdays and Thursdays.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">N<\/span><span class=\"s1\">ew Year\u2019s resolution: Quit stumbling through life! <strong>Danza Latina<\/strong> teaches Bachata, Salsa, Merengue, Cha Cha Cha, and Kizomba. \u201cWe have a separate instructor in every class for beginners,\u201d says instructor Anna Golenduthina. \u201cPeople come to learn the dance, but they also come to make new friends. It\u2019s a time to forget the stress of work, traffic, or chores, and to have fun. There\u2019s a great salsa community in Portland, and we do a monthly social dance.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">108 High Street, Portland. 400-2217, danzalatina2015.com. $10 for first class, or $60 punch card for six classes. $12 drop-in rate.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Create<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">One <strong>glass-blowing<\/strong> class with <b>David Jacobson<\/b> and you walk away a one-of-a-kind creation. \u201cIt\u2019s intimidating, but it\u2019s so much fun,\u201d Jacobson says. \u201cGuests take the molten glass on the pipe and roll it in the colors of their choice. It\u2019s like rolling sprinkles on an ice-cream cone. They blow into the pipe, swing it, and shape it. You can\u2019t stop mid-project. You have to be in the moment.\u201d No better way to take your mind off social media than handling molten glass.<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">210 Choate Road, Montville. 387-0659, davidjacobsonglass.com. Day and night appointments available, $150 per person. Contact for group pricing.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Taste<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">Shouldn\u2019t all classes come with a tasty delicacy and a glass of bubbly? <strong>Maine Oyster Company <\/strong>teaches guests how to shuck fresh oysters at their restaurant in Portland. The class provides a dozen oysters for shucking (and eating), a glass of Prosecco, a take-home insulated oyster cooler, and a lifelong skill.<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">38 Portland Street, Portland. 650-5383, themaineoystercompany.com. Thursdays and Saturdays, $50.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\"><b>Enroll<\/b><\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\"><strong>The Language Exchange<\/strong> teaches classes in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swedish.<br \/>\n<\/span><span class=\"s1\">\u201cI\u2019ve seen people using apps like <strong>DuoLingo <\/strong>but still can\u2019t form a sentence,\u201d says founder Val\u00e9rie Guillet. \u201cIf you want to communicate, you need a real person in front of you. We hold social events to use the language outside the classroom, like our weekly <b>F<\/b><strong>rench breakfasts<\/strong>. Our abroad programs are one to two weeks. Students speak nothing but the foreign language. It\u2019s a sink or swim approach.\u201d<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">75 Market Street, Portland. 772-0405, immersionprograms.com. language@maine.rr.com.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p6\"><span class=\"s1\">Where\u2019s the trail, again?\u2019 It\u2019s about time to learn some wilderness survival skills. <strong>Maine Primitive Skills School<\/strong> offers workshops, apprenticeships, and immersion programs covering survival skills, outdoor education, and wild bushcraft. After taking one or two workshops covering winter survival essentials, fire making, wild foraging, shelter building, identifying and using forest medicinals and edibles, tracking and identifying prints, you probably won\u2019t end up lost in the woods and eaten by a bear.<br \/>\n<\/span><em><span class=\"s1\">716 Church Hill Road, Augusta, 623-7298, primitiveskills.com. Prices vary on average<br \/>\nbetween $35\u2013$120.\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Classes you can&#8217;t wait to<br \/>\nsign up for.<br \/>\nBy Sofia Voltin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17322,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[690,686,691,693,692,685,695,694,696,689,687,688],"class_list":["post-17294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","tag-ashley-flowers","tag-cirque-du-soleil","tag-danza-latina","tag-david-jacobson","tag-glass-blowing","tag-krav-maga-maine","tag-language-exchange","tag-maine-oyster-company","tag-maine-primitive-skills-school","tag-paddleboard-yoga","tag-sellam-circus-school","tag-yoga"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17294"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17294\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18653,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17294\/revisions\/18653"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17322"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}