Dubai expat breaks Guinness World Records for holding 'difficult' yoga pose for 29 minutes

Testing new heights of self-challenge, a Dubai-based yoga instructor broke the Guinness World Records for holding the longest upside-down scorpion (Vrischikasana) position for 29 minutes and four seconds.

Indian resident Yash Moradiya smashed the previous world record set at four minutes and 47 seconds.

Practising for the feat over the past five years, the 22-year-old said his dream was to make a record-setting achievement to raise awareness on the importance of yoga.

“The scorpion position, particularly, is all about stability. The longer we hold the pose, the better we learn to establish the mental resilience to survive any critical situation we face in life with grace,” said Moradiya.

“Yoga has the ability to transform our physical and mental well-being, driving us to unlock our hidden potential of our bodies away from limiting thoughts.”

Holding the pose for this long, he said, required a great deal of mental strength. “The challenge was stabilising the mind after the first five minutes. While my body started to tremble shortly after I went into the pose, it was focusing my inner strength that kept me going,” noted Moradiya.

The resilience was built with patience, time and practice. It took 3-hour daily practice sessions over five years to train his body to hold the upside-down scorpion position for 29 minutes.

‘Meditation is key’

Moradiya has been practising yoga as an extracurricular activity at school since he was eight years old.

After years of consistent practice, he bagged several awards and championships for his extraordinary performance in yoga.

With rising curiosity towards yoga, he studied philosophy and ancient knowledge of the practice to understand its roots.

sherouk@khaleejtimes.com