This man held his arm up one day and decided to never put it down, it’s been 45+ years
Amar Bharati claims to have kept his hand raised in devotion to Hindu deity Shiva.
One day in 1970, Bharati left his job, wife, and three children in order to pursue his devotion to Shiva; three years later he felt he was still too connected to the luxury of mortal life, and decided to raise his arm and keep it raised in order to disconnect himself from said luxuries of mortal life.
He claims that he dealt with immense pain for quite a while, but it eventually subsided and now he can’t even use the raised arm if he wanted, as it atrophied and is now stuck in its current raised position.
Bharati inspired other sadhus to raise their arms as well, some of which have managed to keep them raised for 7, 13, or even 25 years.
Theodore Lee is the editor of Caveman Circus. He strives for self-improvement in all areas of his life, except his candy consumption, where he remains a champion gummy worm enthusiast. When not writing about mindfulness or living in integrity, you can find him hiding giant bags of sour patch kids under the bed.