Dubai: A Dubai expat attempted the world’s longest headstand for 61 minutes on Sunday, marking the first International Yoga Day.
Indian Ivan Stanley, 41, assumed the shirsasana (headstand) position at around 9.05am as family, media and supporters looked on. Perched on his head, and placing his forearms flat on the ground for balance, Stanley held the posture for 61 minutes, according to his sister who kept time, at The Palladium Tower in Jumeirah Lakes Tower.
A press release issued on his behalf said the attempt has been registered at Guinness World Records’ global and Dubai offices and “certification is expected in due course”.
Stanley, an advertising professional who has been living in Dubai for 15 years, was very still during the attempt and kept his eyes closed. After he reached his target of 61 minutes, he slowed lowered himself into a prostrate position and rested for a short while without opening his eyes or saying a word.
He soon found his feet again and received hugs from family and supporters. “It gets completely mental after a while… The physical part is the balance but your mind says, ‘give it up’. It the last five minutes, it really shifts from physical to mental,” Stanley said.
He added that apart from feeling some disorientation towards the end, the feat went smoothly.
“I did this to push myself beyond my barriers. I also wanted to see what we’re made of, what we can achieve.”
Stanley said the yoga shirsasana (headstand) position — which is normally held for a much shorter time than Sunday’s record attempt — is “really good for the heart. It supplies a lot more blood to the brain”.
June 21 has been declared by the UN as International Yoga Day, starting from this year. In Dubai, a mass yoga session of roughly 12,000 people was planned for Sunday night.
