Swampscott native Mary Doherty spends most of her workday as a social worker, but on Mondays she can also be found on the yoga mat at the Senior Center.
“It’s a very vibrant community, and the people there have welcomed me and taken me in,” Doherty said. “
Doherty started practicing yoga for her own health and wellbeing journey in 2009. She then became hooked and received a certification to teach.
“Yoga has been a big part of my fitness journey as well as part of my own spiritual journey,” Doherty said. “I’m a breast cancer survivor, so I practiced yoga all through that, and then…when my son – he’s the baby – went to school two years ago, there was a teacher training at the Yoga Loft in Marblehead.”
One weekend a month, Doherty trained to become a yoga teacher, completing a total of 200 hours of practice.
“I became a certified yoga teacher in 2024, so I’m new to teaching yoga,” Doherty said, adding that she also teaches at the YMCA and in Recreation Department programs at Clarke School.
Sonja Nathan, program and volunteer manager of the Senior Center, had reached out to the Yoga Loft to find a new teacher. Doherty responded, and it turned out to be a full circle moment.
“It turns out this class I ended up teaching, this woman Deb Leahy used to teach – she had moved to New Hampshire – I had taken all of her classes, and I had loved them,” Doherty said. “She gave me all kinds of tips and what she did for the sequence.”
Doherty’s yoga class is an “all levels practice.” It is not necessarily in a chair, unlike the Wednesday classes at the Senior Center. Participants may be standing, on their hands and knees or seated. Doherty said she was advised to avoid too many planks or heavy upper-body exercises.
Mary Doherty’s yoga class || Courtesy Photo
“You’re watching people in the class when you’re the guide. I’m taking the pace from them a little bit,” Doherty said. “I watch to see who’s there to see if it’s okay to be on your knees. I’m aware of the people who have lower back or shoulder (pain). We do offer props. People can be in a chair if they feel more comfortable.”
Doherty also focuses on balance-work with the seniors.
“That’s so important,” Doherty said. “We’re all aging, and it’s important to balance on one foot…For all of us, it’s important.”
Doherty referenced a BBC article about a study showing that balancing on a single leg can boost memory and brain health. The article cites that from 30 years old and on people lose muscle mass at a rate of up to 8% per decade. This can lead to diminished blood sugar control, reduced immunity against diseases, and less muscle strength overall.
By practicing to stand on one leg, the vestibular and somatosensory systems are working at the same time, firing up regions of the brain that can help with people’s abilities to carry out everyday tasks, integrate information and react faster.
For older adults, the enhanced mental well-being along with improved balance, strength and flexibility can not only decrease stress but also help manage chronic pain and prevent newer injuries or falls.
“It’s the flexibility, strength and we really focus on the breathing,” Doherty said. “People come in and they say ‘My hips are so much better,’ ‘My back feels better.’”
Doherty can be found at the Senior Center on Mondays from 11 a.m. to noon. The accessible class costs $5 per session.
