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Health & Wellness
in Personal Enrichment
Surviving Stress
with Carole Freeman, Gray-New Gloucester Adult Education

Welcome to Surviving Stress
It’s estimated that more than 90% of people who suffer with chronic anxiety or stress have breathing pattern disorders. Also known as dysfunctional breathing. The nervous system’s normal response to stress, anxiety, frustration fear, all involve stimulating a particular breathing pattern of shallow, upper airway, open mouth breathing, with tightened abdominals, which are designed to help us run from a burning building or fight off an attacker. If we are under chronic mental, emotional, or physical stress, this breathing pattern becomes a habit as our ‘default’ breathing which is not good because it stimulates the brain to perceive more stress and anxiety. At this point, this ‘default’ breathing pattern is working against us and is known as “dysfunctional”. You may never get out of the feelings of general anxiety and stress without revising your breathing. If you are being treated with Talk therapy, meditation, relaxation, movement therapy, etc. your breathing pattern, which is caused emotional distress, may not be allowing you to get the full benefits these therapies offer.
In this class, you will learn the following:
- How to increase awareness of your “normal” breathing pattern and understand why and how it may have been working against you.
- How to form a new optimal breathing pattern
- How to reduce anxious signaling to your Brain, breaking dysfunctional patterns
- How to manage break-through anxiety or panic attacks
- How to increase oxygen to the brain, creating clearer thinking
- How to strengthen the Rest & Recover portion of the Autonomic Nervous System, increasing feelings of calm and control
- How to take your emotional system from depletion to renewal
Requirements
It is not required, but highly recommended that The Breath-Taking Basics course be completed before beginning this course for you to get maximum benefit from the techniques presented here.
** After payment for this class is received, you will be provided a link, access code and instructions the next business day **
Indoor Walking at Willard School
with Sanford Community Adult Education

Grab your steps-counting app on your phone, and spend a few evenings weekly walking indoors with us at Willard School. SCAE has two floors, so you'll be able to get a good stretch along the hallways, and also add in some stairs! Don't let the darkness of autumn keep you from getting your steps in! Just stop in at the office for signing in (and out!). You can even keep track of your steps on our sign in form. We're looking forward to seeing you.
Winter Walking - 2023
with Somerset Public Health, RSU 54/MSAD 54 Adult and Community Education

A Joint Initiative of Somerset Public Health and MSAD # 54
Are you looking for an opportunity to walk in a dry, safe, well-lit place? The hallways of Skowhegan Area High School are available from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and are a good place to walk during the winter months. • You must register with Skowhegan Area Adult Education and sign in and out every time you attend. A roster will be available at the adult education office. • Please respect the facility by changing into a clean and appropriate pair of indoor walking shoes. • Please stay in the areas designated for walking. • Please walk, not run. • Listen for school cancellation announcements – if day school is cancelled, there will be no walking. • No walking on holidays or during school vacations. • If you have a medical condition or have not seen a health care provider in the past year, we strongly recommend that you do so before increasing your physical activity. • A person choosing to be involved in this walking program does so at his or her own risk.
Community Fitness
with Mary Manly, RSU #3 Adult & Community Education

RSU #3 has its own fitness center located at the high school that is available for use by the community. Come join us and set up a fitness plan that will work best for you.
Sessions include a complete orientation and availability of an on-sight trainer during the entire session. Discover your strengths and pursue 12 weeks of life enhancing workouts by using the facility up to 2 nights per week.
The center is fully equipped with several cardiovascular machines including treadmills, elliptical, upright and recumbent stationary bicycles, a rowing machine, free weights, and a complete Life Fitness Pro circuit series of weight machines.
Requires medical clearance waiver. Must be 18 years or older. No street shoes allowed in the fitness facility.
Get fit for only $65 per 3 month session
Community Volleyball
with Nicole Murdock, RSU #3 Adult & Community Education

Come enjoy volleyball with your friends and community members. For ages 16 and up. All are welcome!
Evening Indoor Walking Program
with Tom Nash, Windham/Raymond Adult Education

Are you looking for a dry, safe, and well-lit place to walk? Join us for a healthy way to keep fit. A walking clinic will kick off the program pro- viding information on techniques, proper stretching, goal setting, and record keeping. Info night for new participants is Monday, 1/9 from 5:30-6:30 pm in the high school cafeteria. No need to attend if you have previously participated in the walking program. Families are welcome to walk from 3:00-8:00 pm after the intro night. The nominal fee covers the entire semester! Kids are free. No access 1/16, 2/20-2/23, 4/17-4/20
Indoor/Outdoor Fitness Walking (Mon.)
with Kathy Nyborg, RSU 24 Adult Education

THIS CLASS CURRENTLY RUNS YEAR ROUND, SO JOIN AT ANY TIME.
Want to stay active? Get into a walking routine! Join Kathy at the Sorrento-Sullivan Recreation Center for an hour of indoor/outdoor walking depending on the weather. You can saunter, power walk or speed walk. Whatever your pace you can do it safely. Meets regularly, and you can start and stop any time.
Will run
Breath-Taking at Night
with Carole Freeman, Augusta Adult and Community Education

This class teaches you how to fall asleep faster, stay asleep longer, stop snoring and wake up feeling rested. You and I know that you can’t possibly have your highest brain power, do your best performance and function at your highest level when you are chronically fatigued and drained from lack of deep restful sleep.
You’d be shocked at how many health disorders are related to, if not caused by, faulty breathing during sleep. While many people feel there’s nothing they can do about snoring or waking frequently at night, they’d be just as surprised to know there’s more you can do about it then you think.
This course is an on-demand, self-paced curriculum.