An Indian yoga teacher based in Dubai has created the Guinness World Record for holding a yoga pose for 30 minutes. The video of Yash Mansukhbhai Moradiya has been posted by Guinness Worlds Records (GWR) on their social media platforms. It shows Mr Moradiya in scorpion pose (or vrschikasana).
The 21-year-old stayed in this pose for an incredible 29 minutes and four seconds, shattering the previous record of four minutes and 47 seconds, GWR captioned the video posted on Instagram on International Yoga Day (June 21).
The vrschikasana comes under advance yoga and requires a person to place their forearms on the ground and arch legs over the head.
"The scorpion position is all about stability. The longer you hold the pose, the better you learn to establish your mental resilience," Mr Moradiya told GWR.
"I was not feeling my toes, and my hip and back numbed before feeling so much pain throughout," he added.
Born in 2001, he started his yoga journey at the age of eight.
GWR said that Mr Moradiya made the attempt on February 22 this year, which makes it unique. When written in the widely-used date format, it appears as 2/22/22, which is a palindrome.
Mr Moradiya started practicing yoga regularly from 2010 and even forayed into Power Yoga.
He prepared for two years before attempting to create the Guinness record, said GWR. Mr Moradiya used the extra time spent at home during COVID-19 lockdown to hone his skills.
During this time, he practices forearm stand exercise and even walked on a treadmill using his arms to increase shoulder and back flexibility.
Several studies have found that yoga can help improve cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, balance, and overall quality of life - and it can even reduce stress, anxiety, and pain.
