1 Hour Kneeling Corner Time – Ariel Anderssen Studio

WARNING;THERE IS NOTHING GLAMOROUS ABOUT THIS VIDEO (other than my gorgeous homemade dress). This is real-time stress position training and it’s probably hard to watch unless you’re into it (which, be assured, I 100% am).

This was such an exciting challenge. My customer had asked me to film myself continuously for an hour as I tried to get through an hour of kneeling up with my hands behind my head. I honestly wasn’t sure if it was possible, but I was excited about giving it a go.

10 minutes in I felt totally fine. 15 minutes in, my knees were beginning to ache, and one hand had started to go a little numb. At around 20 minutes I realised I was getting breathless from the arm position and that my body was beginning to struggle to regulate its temperature – I started sweating and taking deep breaths was only of limited use in helping me endure.

After 25 minutes, I realised my arms and legs were beginning to shake too. Suddenly I felt freezing cold, which was weird after all the sweating. But a minute later I was hot again. I kept trying to take deep breaths. My numb hand remained numb, and my knees started to really hurt.

Before starting to film, I’d wondered if I’d find it boring. I realised I wasn’t bored at all. It was taking significant mental energy to stay in the position, and I was trying to count my breaths, to slow down my breathing in the hope that it’d help me fill my lungs properly. I started to see black squares obscuring my vision. A couple of times I almost lost my balance, which sent shooting pains through my knees. I was just over half way, and beginning to wonder if I’d make it to one hour…

I made it to 39 minutes before I overbalanced. The resultant pain from my knees and shock as I hit the ground jerked me back into full consciousness. My knees had stiffened up considerably, so it was hard to get back into position. I managed to be fully back to kneeling with my hands behind my head in less than a minute, but I was still struggling to get enough breath, and my vision was still blurry. In comparison the physical pain in my knees, neck and arms was easy to cope with. I tried to concentrate on breathing deeply and staying conscious. But after 3 minutes, I briefly collapse again. After a few seconds with my head down, taking deep breaths, I manage to get back into the position and carry on. But it’s increasingly obvious that I’m in significant discomfort, and my breathing becomes more and more labored and audible as I try to get enough air into my lungs. With only seven minutes left to go, I’m barely conscious, muttering to myself as I try to breathe slowly and stay awake. I collapse one more time, and this time it takes me more than a minute to get back into the now agonising position. But I do get through the final 6 minutes! I slowwwwwly lower myself to the ground – my knees are now so painful that I can’t straighten my legs, and I’m very dizzy and disorientated as I give you a debrief about what the worst parts of the experience were. What an effective punishment!

Amelia Jane Rutherford

http://212.162.153.174/b53da2a62d896b25/1_Hour_Kneeling_Corner_Time.mp4