Laughter may not be the most scientific counter to ailments, but a UKZN academic recently proved that “Laughter is the best medicine” through her research and a series of Community Outreach Projects.
Dr Gita Suraj-Narayan is a Senior Lecturer at the School of Social Work and Community Development, who qualified as a Certified Laughter Yoga Leader from the Dr Kataria School of Laughter Yoga in Bangalore, India, last year and also received Laughter YogaTeacher Training, through the same school in Switzerland, in May this year.
Dr Suraj-Narayan was inspired by the Founder of Laugher Yoga, Dr Madan Kataria, to carry out research exploring the Bio Psycho-Social Impact of Laughter Therapy on Stroke Patients and to empower rural communities using Laughter Yoga with Cognitive Restructuring as an alternate form of therapy.
