Yoga Class to Help 10-Year-Old With Crohn's

will hold a one-hour family yoga class Saturday to raise money for Crohn's disease, which has afflicted one Morristown 10-year-old girl.

Helena Lindner was diagnosed with Crohn's more than a year ago, and at age 9, she researched the disease and looked for ways she could fundraise for the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation. Since then, Helena has helped raise nearly $50,000 for the organization.

Lindner and her mother, Hillary, who is a yoga student at Ananda, have decided to hold their latest fundraising event at the Morristown studio for a fun-filled family event and to seek more donations to help find a cure. It is unknown what causes the digestive system chronic disease, and there is no cure.

Owner of Ananda Yoga, Janice Molinari, said Saturday's yoga class will be different than the typical class because it's a family-style event and also a donation class. The class will begin at 4 p.m.

"We're incorporating the whole family so parents and kids can come practice even if they've never tried yoga before," Molinari said, "it's a basic fun class that families can participate in and have a good time."

The class is open and free to the public, but the studio will be accepting donations. All proceeds will go directly to the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America's New Jersey Chapter.

"It's a great way to end the week while supporting a really important cause," Hillary Lindner said.

Lindner and her daughter raised more than $29,000 on June 3 at a recent walk they had for the foundation, surpassing their goal of $25,000. Helena was the 'Honored Hero' and cut the ribbon to start the walk.

"It was a very exciting, very emotional moment for our whole family," Hillary Lindner said.

Molinari said the goal is to raise $800 on Saturday, and she is hoping for 45 participants to join in the class.

Hillary Lindner said that while she's appreciative of any amount of donations, reaching $800 would be great because it would bring them to the $30,000 mark this year.

"It's just going to be a whole lot of fun," Molinari said. "We're welcoming everybody, whether they've tried yoga or not before. It's an event that people can come to as a family-fun Saturday, have a good time, do something for a good cause, get to know a little about the studio, and maybe educate themselves a little about Crohn's disease."

Molinari said that although this is the first benefit yoga session that the Morristown studio has held, she's hoping to have more in the future.

"Part of our mission in the yoga studio is to do a lot more community oriented events that benefit the community," Molinari said. "The yoga studio is a labor of love for us."

Ananda Yoga just after moving from Mendham. Molinari said they have held benefits at the previous location, and last fall they raised money for Market Street Mission in Morristown.

To learn more about the event or Ananda Yoga, visit its website.

To make a donation for Team Helena, visit Helena's personal page.