Bringing health and sport together

Dr Laurie Rauch works as a neurobiologist in Exercise Science and Sports Medicine at the University of Cape Town. He specialises on the Autonomic Nervous System – brain function and biofeedback. He holds international conferences on his research regarding the motivated brain.

Dr Rauch was knocked off his bike by a drunken container truck driver, while training for the South African Triathlon Championship. He sustained severe brain and spinal cord injuries and lost his right leg above the knee.

Ten years later, after training for a full year, Dr Rauch finished the Argus Tour, a 109 km cycling race around the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. His biggest hurdle during training was the stress his damaged body caused him. He considers cycle racing to be less daunting than learning to walk with a prosthetic leg, having brain and spinal cord injuries, and severely weakened muscles from the accident.

Dr Rauch has changed many people’s life, inspiring people of all ages and backgrounds, to change their lives and focus on low intensity, right brain dominated exercise. He discovered - it’s not about trying harder - it’s about balance while letting go. His focus is now on the right side of the brain. We cannot rely on the left brain alone and the fight and flight mode.

Through Living Golf, Dr Rauch is researching the impact of golf on mental health, through the integration of left and right brain, with every golf shot. This is being carried out at a poverty stricken African township school and a world-renowned Cape Town primary school. The next Living Golf research will be carried out in Moray.

Come along to the college at 6pm to meet Dr Rauch and find out about his background and fascinating research!

Dr Laurie Rauch: http://scholar.google.co.za/citations?user=2ouOEhEAAAAJ&hl=en

For more information about this lecture contact:

Email: letsplay@livinggolf.com

Tel: 07570139657

Facebook: www.facebook.com/livinggolf