Fitness

Yoga as Community

3 Bridges Yoga brings people together in a distracted world Article by Troy Farkas | Photography by Kevin Edge, Kevin Edge Photography Stephanie Paolini never wanted to become a yoga teacher. When she signed up for yoga teacher training in San Francisco in 2015, she did so mainly to learn more about the practice she’d come to love from taking five classes each week at several Boston yoga studios, and then at studios in the Seacoast, where she moved in 2014. Every morning of her 30-day...

Wellness

Where Healing Begins

Innovative services at The Vital Elements bring relief and wellness Article by Amber Peacock Buttermore | Photography by Kevin Edge, Kevin Edge Photography Winter has a way of slowing us down. The holiday rush fades, the noise settles, and we start listening to what our bodies may be saying once the exhilarating celebrations all come to an end. It’s the time of year when many of us feel depleted and begin searching for a reset. For many on the Seacoast, that reset begins with reassurance...

Fitness

A Fitness Home

A peaceful haven, FORM offers all clients a space to explore and be themselves Article by Rebecca Ingalls | Photography by Kevin Edge, Kevin Edge Photography It’s part of the human condition to crave movement—in our roots we are nomadic, adventurous, fiercely committed to moving forward. But at 6 a.m., when it’s still dark and we’ve promised ourselves a game-changing workout, the pillow tells a different story. Sure, we know the cardio, the strength training, and the flexibility will be good...

Fitness

The Way of Harmony

At Portsmouth Aikido, students learn to resolve conflict through the Art of Peace Article by Susan Gallagher | Photography by Kevin Edge, Kevin Edge Photography Seventeen-year-old Aaron Cass was adrift, floundering in a sea of adolescent pressures. His dad’s gift of the book “Zen Flesh, Zen Bones,” a collection of Zen Buddhist parables, would be the surprising lifeline that rescued the troubled youth and set him on the path to a new way of life. While reading the thought-provoking book, Cass’s...

Arts + Culture

Warm Up to Music in Winter

Find your musical getaway right at home in Portsmouth Article by Peggy Newland Portsmouth is home for local musicians, community symphony, world-renowned jazz artists, up and coming ensembles—blues, bebop, bluegrass, classical—you name it, we have it. There’s a quote around Portsmouth among musicians: “Open a door in town and find a tune.” Our summer is full of street concerts, park festivals, and sidewalk jams all in the easy zone of our sunny season. But did you know that winter is the...

Life + Culture

Find Your Hygge for the Holidays

Seaside holidays bring glow, rosy cheeks, and ways to give Article by Peggy Newland Hygge is meant for the holidays and when you live in Portsmouth, there are many ways to find a “warm and cozy” community on the coast. Hygge, which is pronounced hoo-ga , comes from the Danish (and Norwegian) concept of finding contentment, wellbeing, and connection during the dark days of winter. Think of simple gatherings filled with laughter, connection, good food, generosity, and warmth shared. ...

Sports + Recreation

Currier Charm and Candlelight Cheer

Ice Dance International's skaters transport audiences back in time Article by Ann Kathryn Kelly | Photography by David Murray, ClearEyePhoto Imagine the scene: the smells of woodsmoke and hot apple cider drifting in the air. Shimmering lanterns twinkling. A crowd of families, friends, and neighbors gathering on a snow-dusted December night—bunching together—as the swell of a favorite Christmas song starts. A scrape of blades on ice, and magically, women in ankle-length, billowing velvet...

Event Planning + Services

A World of Difference

From its grassroots start, Seacoast Holiday has grown each year to touch the lives of hundreds of families Article by Rebecca Ingalls | Photography by Kevin Edge, Kevin Edge Photography It may not surprise anyone to know that the inspiration for Seacoast Holiday came from the heart of a child. Eight years ago, Justin Pike’s young daughter shared with him her awareness about the poverty that some of her peers were facing, with honest questions about what could be done to help them. Pike, whose...

Entertainment

Play, Dine, and Give Back

Portsmouth’s Black Rock Social Club Makes its Debut Article by Krysten Godfrey Maddocks | Photography by Kevin Edge, Kevin Edge Photography Step inside the sleek, dark-painted building of the Black Rock Social Club and walk the concrete “red carpet.” Following it will lead you past the dining area’s gleaming bar, into a massive space that includes golf and flight simulators, a stage, and plenty of space to gather. If that’s not enough, the venue also includes 20 flat-screen TVs and will soon...

Life + Culture

Wheels of Joy

Seacoast Pedal It Forward transforms used bicycles into freedom, connection, and opportunity Article by Susan Gallagher The battered bicycle lay half-buried in trash in the overflowing dumpster, handlebars bent at an odd angle, chain twisted and rusty, one wheel missing. To the eyes of the average person, the bike appeared useless. But to the trained eyes of the dedicated volunteers of Seacoast Pedal It Forward (SPIF), this crooked tangle of metal evoked an image of the bright, shiny...