PRCC Newsletter November 2021

Portland Recovery Community Center Newsletter: November 2021

November is a month of gratitude, and PRCC has a lot to be grateful for! First and foremost, we are grateful to see hundreds of people finding recovery and living healthy lives. We are also grateful to be in a larger space so that our doors are open and the living room is filled with love and laughter. PRCC is offering plenty of new groups and opportunities on the calendar -- keep reading to learn more about what's going on lately at 102 Bishop Street!

Bishop Street Updates

PRCC's current guidelines for center guests and staff:

PRCC is currently open Monday-Friday 8am-8pm, Saturday 8am-7pm, and Sunday 8am-12pm.

All guests, members and staff may gather outside without wearing a mask.

Inside the building, masks are required regardless of vaccination status.

You do not need to call ahead to attend a meeting.

If you are not feeling well (even if you don't think it's Covid), please stay home!

Please continue to wash and sanitize hands.

Effective Wednesday Nov. 3, PRCC will be operating out of the side of the building closest to Bishop Street while the other half undergoes renovation. Please enter the building and park on this side - there will be signs provided to help direct you!

Most importantly, PRCC is remaining open with normal hours throughout all stages of the renovations. All groups and meetings will continue as scheduled.

A few things to remember:

Don't forget to check in at the Recovery Link Kiosk when you visit!
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up with the latest at PRCC.

Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation as we work to complete this exciting renovation. On the other side of it, 102 Bishop Street will be effectively doubled in its capacity for meetings, recovery coaching, gathering space, and providing support to other recovery community centers in Maine.

New Meetings Online and In-Person

Sea Change Recovery Yoga

Through slow, gentle movement, deep breathing, and mindfulness practices, students in recovery are invited to join this safe space for community support, emotional healing, and stress relief.

Classes offered Tuesdays, 1:30pm and Thursdays, 4:30pm online via Zoom and in-person at PRCC. Zoom ID: 918 3713 3896 (PW: PrCc20).

All experience levels welcome!

Nurturing Parents Workshop

If you are a parent, grandparent, or caregiver in recovery and want to enhance your self-awareness and increase your ability to relate to your child(ren) in a safe and supportive environment surrounded by parents and caregivers who share similar life experiences, join us for this FREE 12 weeks of workshops. Come to as many you want (if you attend 8, you earn a certificate!).

Thursdays starting Nov. 11, 10am at PRCC and online (Join here via Zoom)

Hula Hui in Recovery

Winters in Maine get dark and cold. Why not take an hour each week, and escape the cold while learning how to dance hula in a group? It gives us all a chance to gather together in recovery, and stay active during the cold weather all the while learning something new. Hula Hui is presented through Facebook Live through Unicorn Cove. We will watch the demonstrations of Hawaiian Hula, and learn as we go.

Wednesdays, 1:30pm at PRCC

Veteran's Day and Thanksgiving -- What You Need to Know

Veteran's Day is on November 11, and PRCC's community includes many people who have served in the military. We are grateful for their service--on Veteran's Day, we will be giving out $5 Dunkin Donuts gift cards to show our appreciation. If you're a veteran, please stop by 102 Bishop Street!

Come celebrate the holiday with your PRCC friends and family. PRCC will be open on Thanksgiving Day from 12pm to 5pm. Due to Covid-19, we will not be serving food, but our doors will be open and coffee will be on for anyone who want to come celebrate the holiday!

Save the Date: Veteran's Day Event

Looking for a way to honor veterans this month? One way to honor is to stay informed!

Rx Abuse Leadership Initiative (RALI) of Maine is partnering with NAMI Maine and Cumberland County District Attorney Jonathan Sahrbeck to discuss employment and housing resources for Maine's veterans.

The discussion, titled "Veterans, Their Families, and Caregivers: Understanding Employment and Housing Resources" will be held online Wednesday, November 10, 12-1pm ET. This event is free and open to the public.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to hannahl@namimaine.org.

JACINTA Screenings Nov. 4 and 5

Points North Institute is hosting FREE community screenings of the award-winning documentary JACINTA (a New York Times' Critic's Pick) in the Greater Portland area as part of their ongoing Recovery in Maine program.

JACINTA Thursday, Nov. 4 | Westbrook Performing Arts Center | 5:30pm
JACINTA Friday, Nov. 5 | Portland Museum of Art | 2pm
JACINTA Friday, Nov. 5 | Portland Museum of Art | 5:30pm

Each screening will be followed by a discussion with the filmmaker and local leaders in the recovery community. PRCC will be tabling all three screenings, and Leslie Clark, PRCC Executive Director, will be part of the panel Friday evening.

Community Spotlight: Charlie & Kundalini Yoga

Yoga practice offers a wonderful opportunity for people in recovery to practice mindfulness together. PRCC hosts multiple yoga classes, and we are highlighting different yoga offerings in this month and next month's newsletter. Please enjoy this interview with Charlie about Kundalini Yoga, and stay tuned for an upcoming interview with Jennie and Nick from Sea Change Yoga.

Meet Charlie. Charlie has been part of PRCC's community for several years now, as a member and teacher. Charlie teaches Kundalini Yoga at PRCC Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 10:30am, as well as Mind & Body Training at 12pm on Wednesdays.

Here's a brief interview with Charlie about Kundalini Yoga and how it supports people in their recovery journeys:

What does Kundalini mean? Kundalini Yoga is a Sanskrit term, and my translation of it is conscious contact with Higher Power. As a person in 12-Step recovery, I use this kind of language, but essentially I'm talking about the divine within. To the extent that we can wake up, that part of us that is waking up is the Higher Power part.

What do you do in Kundalini Yoga? The goal is to have an hour of meditation moving and non-moving no matter what pose we’re in or what’s going on. We do some physical practice, some posture practice, and some exercises. Maybe about 25 minutes of an hour is devoted to those physical practices. The rest will be what most people think of as meditation.

Who should try Kundalini Yoga? I want everyone to feel welcome no matter what their level of experience is. I believe that yoga is accessible to all, and I encourage my fellows who are in the group to consider that we are all on different paths, in different stages of those paths, and all in different bodies. If you hold gently to an attitude of non-competition, and even non-comparison, this makes everything a suggestion only. Therefore, the practice should be accessible to everyone. Conscious Contact with Higher Power is our birth right. It’s our true nature whoever we are.

Come check out Kundalini Yoga at PRCC every Monday/Wednesday/Friday at 10:30am!

Volunteer of the Month

Meet Jordan: A person in recovery, Jordan Gillespie started volunteering at PRCC in July.

Jordan earned the "Jordan-of-All-Trades" award because he quite literally does everything a volunteer can do at the center! From front desk to Telephone Recovery Support to mopping the floors, Jordan is always looking for ways to lend a hand and serve the community, which he does with kindness and confidence.

Jordan says: "Spending time at PRCC makes me realize that I’m not alone in my own struggle. PRCC is a close-knit, family type atmosphere, and everyone’s able to be super honest and loving towards each other. That helps me personally a long way in my own recovery -- I know that someone’s on the line when I’m struggling. There’s always somebody there."

Join us in thanking Jordan for his dedication and commitment to the recovery community.

You are our family

This newsletter allows us to share our progress and connect with you - our recovery family. Published on a regular basis and sent via email, it provides news and updates for the greater Portland area. It gives you an opportunity to help support recovery and spread the message of hope throughout the state of Maine! Please send any feedback or information you'd like us to include to newsletter@portlandrecovery.org.