Photo by Dave Warner – Marchell in her studio after leading her morning yoga class.
By Denise Louise Gregorka
Anyone who has lived in Little Falls for a short while has most likely crossed paths with or has heard of Marchell Scarano, owner of ‘Yoga and Wellness.’ She has been a fixture in the community as a wellness instructor for decades and has committed her life to keeping people healthy.
Little did she know that in one life-changing moment, everything she had ever taught would become necessary tools in a huge personal hurdle.
Marchell was born and raised in Little Falls. For the most part of her childhood, she lived on the south side, and she went to Jefferson St. School. She grew up with dancing lessons, including ballet, jazz, and tap dancing.
She went to college for ‘Probation Parole for Juveniles’ to follow the family tradition of law enforcement. Unfortunately, in the 1970s, women were not as accepted into those kinds of positions, and she was not able to find work in that field.
The Early Exercise Years
She remembers, “My first training in exercise came from Jack LaLanne. During my college years, I was able to train with him during a summer program.”
After college, because she could not pursue her chosen profession, she took a part-time job managing a women’s gym in Herkimer, which was the only one in the area. She stayed in that position for one year and was eventually recruited by the owners of a new gym in Little Falls.
Around 1975, after running that gym, Marchell states, “I decided I wanted to do an exercise class for women because there was no such thing. Women were coming to the gym, but they needed more than the rollers, the belts, and the old-fashioned machines.” She approached Mr. Truman, the YMCA director in Little Falls, and he agreed to give her a small room in the Y’s basement. It was a modest start.
The following year, Tony Deluca became the new YMCA director and helped to make her room more accommodating. After a couple of years, the class had outgrown its space, and they moved to the Y’s gym for one hour each week.
Marchell remembers, “By the time we got into the 80s, we were in the gym two nights, and those classes were up to almost eighty to ninety people. The gym was packed because it was popular. Jane Fonda had come in, and it was more acceptable. We had it all…the leg warmers, the headbands…everything.”
She was teaching separate classes, including high impact, low impact, flexilence, & weights.
1987, Marchell leading her class in the First Canal Days Parade in Little Falls
As time went on, Marchell sought to find gyms in different, large cities as she traveled with her husband for his work. She wanted to see what they were doing.
“During those years, there was no training to go learn how to teach Pound. There wasn’t that kind of thing, especially for women. So you had to look. I brought back step aerobics classes. My dad made the steps. At the peak of my time there, I had two classes on four nights and one on Saturday morning.”
The women appreciated having a place to go and learning how to be healthy. Marchell states, “I always wanted it to be something I enjoyed, and I wanted them to enjoy. I wanted them to feel good about what they were doing and be healthy and strong in a safe atmosphere. I have never stopped learning. There is always something else to learn.”
She taught weight training at Herkimer College as well.
Yoga
When Marchell approached her fortieth birthday, she started feeling that the excessive hours of teaching were taking a toll on her body.
“I was teaching a lot and doing a lot. That was more than the average person should actually do, so I started to feel some of the side effects. It was too much.”
She started looking at yoga practices. Since there were no yoga classes in the area, she went searching in Albany and Syracuse to see what was out there and what she could learn. “There was no online learning, no YouTube.”
She started to learn yoga and eventually would slowly introduce the stretches and poses to her classes. In 1996 she became certified and started yoga classes.
“I’ve learned the different styles, but I still come back to Hatha Yoga which is the yin & yang, the balance, and was the beginning of all of the other styles of yoga. I am a Hatha Yoga teacher with flavorings of many other teachings.”
She went from teaching on Furnace St. to the basement of the Co-Op and also brought classes to Herkimer College. She has taught yoga all over the area, including YMCAs in various surrounding cities. During all of those years of teaching, she held a full-time job.
Marchell decided that she wanted to own her own business, which she could run her way on her schedule. She set her sights on her present location at 27 West Main St. in Little Falls, where she has most of her classes but takes opportunities to teach outside in Rotary Park or on the rooftop of the Rock City building.
Life Interrupted
Her resume is very impressive, and the story could end here, but there is much more to tell you.
As Marchell was driving on a Sunday morning in January of 2021, a pick-up truck crossed into her lane and hit her head on.
In her words, “I clenched and moved back in my seat. When I opened my eyes, all of the airbags went off. It turned my car completely around, and I ended up facing in the opposite direction. I knew part of the car was not there. I thought I wanted to get out, but I couldn’t get out. I was broken. Those first seconds, I didn’t know…but the pain rushed right in.”
“God bless those two Little Falls Firemen. They were perfect that day. They asked me the right questions, and they listened. I was directing them to hold this, hold that as they moved me. They were compassionate and gentle. “God was with me that morning, and I know that,” she stated.
“I was moved to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital and was in a lot of pain. I actually remembered to use my yoga breathing to relax because if you can relax, the pain would be less. Part of everything we do, the way we take care of ourselves, our nutrition, yoga, whatever it is, affects our recovery time when things happen. In a short time, I was sent to Upstate Medical in Syracuse and was in an ICU unit.”
“My right knee had hit the console, and it splintered my femur and my tibia. They did two surgeries on the leg, one of which was 10 hours. Part of my tibia bone was powdered, so they had to rebuild that bone. My right leg has metal bars that will be with me forever. There are bars, wiring, and screws,” Marchell said.
“The radius and ulna on my left wrist came into my palm, and both broke off, so my hand was pretty much broken off underneath the skin.” They did two different surgeries on the arm resulting in two plates on the bones. They did a phenomenal job of putting my arm back together.”
“I was in the hospital for five weeks, and no one was able to come because of Covid. When I was there, one of the therapists actually had me do chair yoga, sitting in the wheelchair. She said, ‘Teach me what I can do with other people.’ That got me thinking that I can do this.”
“I went home in a wheelchair. It took a couple of months before I was able to start using a walker. PT at Kress was very helpful. I started to crochet and wash dishes to get my hand working. Then I went to knitting, which was also good therapy.”
“The leg took a long time to recover. After a while, I was using the walker and had to make a decision whether I would re-open my studio. My family and friends encouraged me to go back.
The first time I came back, I walked in with a walker and said, ‘Either they will come, or they won’t come.’ I had a chair in the corner. They started coming back, and I taught. That encouraged me to work harder at therapy. I went from the walker to a cane and was able to stand and teach.”
“And here we are. I teach eight classes a week and am trying to get back to teaching at the college as well. I am still looking forward to being able to do more. I will do this as long as I can until people stop coming, and then I will be all by myself doing it on my own. I have learned to be a better teacher of yoga. I have learned to have more compassion for people that have injuries. I love what I do, I love people.”
Marchell is an inspiration for anyone who wants to be fit or may be overcoming any kind of physical challenge.
If you would like to learn more about Yoga and Wellness, you can find her at https://www.facebook.com/yogawellnessforall, or you can reach her at marchellray@hotmail.com (315) 868-1907.
Denise Gregorka is a longtime Little Falls resident who has a love for the city’s people & history.
She is married to Craig, who is a Little Falls native, retired photographer & former business owner.
Denise has done costume collaboration for Broadway and off-Broadway theatre for 18+ years and has also been an antique/collectibles dealer for over 25 years.
She is not a professional writer but is compelled to hear and share the “background story” from engaging Little Falls residents.
If you’d like to reach out to Denise about a story idea, you can email her at gork4444@gmail.com.
Great article about a great lady written by a great lady!! Marchell is truly an inspiration. I remember attending a few of her classes back in the day leg warmers and all!! Whenever I’m back in LF visiting, I try to catch a class. She’s a great yoga teacher. I’ve had many yoga teachers both in person and online over the years and Marchell is among the best. Next week I’ll join her on the roof of Rock City Center and am looking forward to it.
Marchelle is the best. I took classes with her at the Co-op in 2004 after finishing treatment for breast cancer. She was considerate, thoughtful, and just plain fun. Thank you for this lovely article about her.