Nevertheless, the young man kept that lingering inspiration in the back of his mind as he grew up chasing his other interests, such as meditation with Eastern spirituality teacher, Sri Chinmoy.
It was while learning the principles of self-transcendence – which involved overcoming limitations, developing spiritually, and a deep understanding that nothing is impossible – that Ashrita would learn how to make his impalpable dreams a concrete reality.
In 1978 Ashrita was persuaded by Sri Chinmoy to test himself by entering in a 24-hour bicycle race in New York City. This marathon race in the Big Apple led to an incredible epiphany for the young man. With no prior training, he finished the 405-mile-long (651.7-km) trek in third place. Ashrita now realised that anything was achievable with a strong sense of self and an openness to possibility.
Naturally, his next step was Guinness World Records. Ashrita’s very first record attempt was for doing the most consecutive jumping jacks, a challenge that would be no easy feat to overcome.
In fact, he failed to break the record. But Ashrita’s new-found optimism gave him the courage to pursue daily physical training alongside his mental and spiritual practices. This would be the foundation he needed to become a GWR record-holder.
He trained for hours, over the course of several weeks, familiarising himself with the core principles that every GWR title-holder must master in order to achieve a record.
Six hours, 45 minutes and 27,000 jumping jacks later, Ashrita had not only achieved his first record, but also began a life pursuit of pushing the boundaries.