Bengaluru yoga guru sets new world record

Vijesh Elikattepparambil says many young people are not aware his feats are based in traditional yogic practice

A Bengaluru-based yoga teacher has set a world record by holding the scorpion pose (vrischikasana) for two minutes and 14 seconds. “It’s an extremely challenging pose that requires you to be strong, flexible and alert. It is all about aligning the body correctly,” says Vijesh Elikattepparambil, who started practising yoga in 2003, soon after his graduation.

It was during his time in Dubai, while working in finance and account management, that he began to teach yoga during the weekends.

In 2017, he moved to Bengaluru. “The plan was to go back for a few months, but I fell in love with teaching so much that I decided to stay longer,” says Vijesh. He now teaches here.

“Over time, I realised that many poses in yoga came very easy to me and that I was extremely comfortable performing them across terrains. This made me want to push myself further and I got to thinking about record-holders in yoga,” he says.

In 2018, he broke the Guinness World Record for performing the peacock pose (mayurasana) for three minutes and five seconds, breaking the earlier record of one minute and 30 seconds.

He has also found a name in the India Book of Records for performing the fastest 100 Surya Namaskaras in six minutes and 28 seconds.

He notes that many who shower him with compliments on social media are not even aware that his stances are part of traditional yoga.

By breaking these records, he hopes to get the attention of the youngsters in the country and those who practice traditional yoga.

“In earlier times, yoga was not practised for health. It was a way for people to attain their best patential and reach the highest limits of human excellence,” he says.