Going outside in the blustery winter weather can feel like a chore, and it’s easy to lay under a pile of blankets all day. But if you’re looking to challenge yourself in the New Year, try out something new in town to help your body or mind.
SKATING
The ice rink is now open at the basketball court at the Community Building in Homer. People can skate from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. every day.
The location is better than the Homer Village Green, because it is flatter and more secure due to the fence, said Acting Mayor Pat Clune. No one skated last year, he said.
“As soon as it froze enough last year, it warmed back up again and turned to slush,” Clune said Wednesday while visiting a Homer Town Board meeting. “Mother nature has been a little bit more cooperative this year.”
You can also skate indoors at the J.M. McDonald Sports Complex. Public skate will be 2 to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 18, and Rock and Skate will be 8 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 18 and 25.
PICKLEBALL
It’s part badminton, part tennis and open hours for pickleball are set at the Cortland YMCA, 22 Tompkins St., said Senior Program Director Gina Cusano-McLaughlin.
“We offer a discounted rate of $5 for non-members to come play,” she said. A beginning pickleball class is also noon to 3 p.m. Mondays.
MEDITATE
Clear your head by trying meditation. The Center for the Arts of Homer is hosting Sound for the Soul, a guided meditation with the goal of releasing the challenges of the past year and setting intentions for the next one, the Meditation Mama Facebook page says.
The guided meditation sessions will be 6 p.m. Jan. 23 and Feb. 12, with a custom sound design of singing bowls, tuning forks and other instruments. Register at liveauthenticallyu.com.
Mindfulness Meditation is also now being offered at the YWCA Cortland, 14 Clayton Ave, from 6:30 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays through Feb. 25. Yoga instructor Brenna Ricci will guide people through a 30-minute body scan to body awareness through mindful movement, the class schedule says.
YOGA
Other new programs at the YWCA include Restorative Yoga from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. Thursdays. This gentle yoga form focuses on relaxation and comfort, the class schedule says.
Director of Health and Fitness Meryl Fish said these classes go beyond physical health, and help an individual’s spiritual wellness.
“It’s really giving you a chance to breathe and create space,” Fish said. “Especially in the winter, where you’re either going from one indoor place to another, now you get to find that free space within yourself, because you’re learning to slow down, breathe while you move, and kind of turn a little more inward.”
A six-week prenatal yoga class will be 10 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday from Jan. 18 to Feb. 22 for pregnant people. The classes aim to improve strength, flexibility and endurance, while reducing back and sciatic nerve pain.
BOOK CLUB
Anyone who loves reading and discussing books can join the free Karen L. Sager Book Club at the Center for the Arts of Homer. The next meeting is 7 p.m. Jan. 27, and will discuss “When We Walk By” by Kevin Adler and Donald Burnes. At 7 p.m. Feb. 24, they will discuss “James: A Novel” by Percival Everett.
The Points of View book club at the Phillips Free Library in Homer, hopes to make learning about other cultures and perspectives easier in an area with limited diversity.
At the 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28 meeting, they will discuss “The Island of Missing Trees” by Elif Shafal. Register by emailing ashley@phillipsfreelibrary.org.
If you want to pick your own books, but still need that extra push to read, join the Cortland-Homer Silent Book Club. Once a month, readers gather, read whatever they want, and chat about it after, if they want. The next meeting will be 6 p.m. Jan. 30 at Homer Hops Brewing.
TAI CHI
New to the YWCA is a seven-week introduction to tai chi and qi gong, a Chinese form of exercise. The series of movement and breathing techniques was designed to improve balance, reduce stress and improve cognitive function, the class schedule says.
Classes are noon Tuesdays and Thursdays until Feb. 20.
“It’s nice to get out of your home and meet new people, and do something that’s going to be really good for you,” Fish said.
