Yoga brings healing, say practitioners of the ancient philosophy.

Healing Yoga

Yogathon to raise awareness for
an uplifting practice.

Lynne Meredith Golodner

Special to the Jewish News

B

ack when Lynn Medow was
working in nonprofit admin-
istration at JARC and learn-
ing to teach yoga on the side, she had
a vision of one day combining the two
into one focused effort.
A year ago, she
brought that dream
to life when she cre-
ated the nonprofit
Yoga By Design
Foundation, a phil-
anthropic offshoot
of her for-profit
yoga business. The
Lynn Medow
foundation raises
money to fund yoga classes for people
who need it but can't afford it, includ-
ing people with Alzheimer's, MS,
autism and obesity, among others.
This weekend, Medow is host-
ing her second annual fundraising
yogathon — two days of yoga classes
all focused on raising money and
awareness — for the healing aspects
of yoga. Classes will take place
Saturday and Sunday at Karma Yoga
in Bloomfield Hills. The event is open
to the public.
"It is a dream come true to have
this foundation, which brings heal-
ing yoga to people who need it most:'
says Medow, 60, and a Bloomfield
Township resident. She ended her
nonprofit career in her late 40s to
teach yoga full-time.
Last year's yogathon, which
launched the foundation, attracted
131 people to nine consecutive classes
and raised $10,000. This year, the
event offers 16 classes, satellite loca-
tions and a goal of raising $15,000.
"I believe everybody should receive

the gifts of yoga, and this founda-
tion helps that happen," says Debbie
Thomas, an Oak Park resident and
Temple Emanu-El member, who is
co-teaching a restorative yoga class
during the event.
In its first year of existence, the Yoga
By Design Foundation awarded three
grants to local applicants, funding yoga
programs for children with autism, chil-
dren fighting obesity and people with
Down syndrome. Awardees included
Autism Ask in Waterford, the Center for
Exceptional Families in Dearborn and
the Down Syndrome Guild of Southeast
Michigan. Another beneficiary of this
past year of fundraising is Heartline, a
program for women leaving the correc-
tions system.
Katherine Austin, owner of Karma
Yoga, where Medow teaches, has
donated her studio for the event for
the second year in a row.
"I am so happy once again to offer
Karma Yoga for our second annual
Yogathon," says Austin. "My heart is so
full of gratitude at how our yoga com-
munity and sponsors can join together
for such an important event to help
others transform their lives through
the gift of yoga. This is truly living
yoga." ❑

Event Details
Yoga by Design Foundation
Yogathon Fundraiser
Sept. 1-2 at Karma Yoga, 3683
W. Maple (at Lahser), Bloomfield
Township. $20 per class (mini-
mum donation).
For a list of classes and times
and to register, visit
www.yogabydesignfoundation.org
or call (248) 939-1367.

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August 30 • 2012

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