Laughter the best medicine for yoga students, according to Highland teacher
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A LAUGHTER yoga teacher is calling on people to join her to celebrate World Laughter Day on Sunday.
Natalie Gilray, who would normally be taking laughter classes in Inverness and Nairn, wants people to join her for 20 minutes for 20 days to find out if laughter really is the best medicine.
Ms Gilray, whose day time job is working with Highland Hospice, said that in spite of the coronavirus lockdown she has still been running her classes on social media platform Zoom, and people from as far afield as America have even joined in.
Ms Gilray said: "Laughter yoga grew out of research into the healing properties of laughter by a medical doctor Dr Madan Kataria in 1995. It was started in Mumbai in India, Dr Kataria initially got people to meet up to share laughter as part of a daily routine in a local park. But when his pupils started to fall away because they didn't like the stories or jokes, he realised that it was the laughter, and not the thing that was making them laugh that people enjoyed.
"For Dr Kataria's research he found laugher helped to boost the immune system, reduce stress, increase positive thoughts and keep spirits high."
Ms Gilray continued: "The body can be fooled into getting the effects of laughter without having had "real" laughter, and after a while the real laughter comes.
"Laughter is great for mental health and the body.
"Right now I would be teaching laughter yoga classes in Inverness and in Nairn. I've been running the Inverness Laughter Yoga Club for more than three years and with current restrictions, I've had to deliver my sessions via Zoom.
"Times are challenging, and we need to laugh more than ever. My regular Laughter Yoga sessions via Zoom have been supporting people who have been self isolating and shielding since March.
"Some of my regular attendees are struggling with self isolation, low mood and motivation, increased anxiety and poor sleep. And meeting up in the online sessions have really helped people to feel connected to each other."
Anyone who would like to attend can contact her via Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/invernesslaughteryogaclub/ or by email to invernesslaughteryogaclub@gmail.com
