Beds of nails
And you thought your mattress was uncomfortable.
Alex Q. Arbuckle
1910-1981
Jack Powers, also known as Yogi Shri Krishan, supports 275-pound Sam Shopsowitz while sandwiched between beds of nails.
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Beds of nails have been used as meditation and healing techniques by Indian yogis and mystics for hundreds of years, as well as by ascetics of various faiths.The practice has also been adopted for entertainment purposes by circus performers and stuntmen. Though the trick is visually startling, the physics behind it are quite simple. With the performer’s body weight distributed across hundreds of nails, no single nail receives enough pressure to puncture the skin. (Getting on and off the bed can be tricky, however.)
A Hindu ascetic sits on a bed of nails with other holy men at Benares, a holy place on the river Ganges in India.
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An ascetic sits on a bed of nails in India.
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An ascetic rests on a bed of nails in a display of public penance in Calcutta, India.
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Dr. Johra Bey, a Muslim Fakir ascetic, lies on a bed of nails.
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A man supports the weight of six people while lying on a bed of nails.
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A woman supports the weight of a Vespa scooter while lying on a bed of nails in Italy.
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Stunt man Michael Blondini puts the finishing touches on his bed of nails on the Palace Pier in Brighton, England.
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John Astin (as Gomez Addams) lies on a bed of nails during an episode of The Addams Family.
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Stuntman Jackie Paul lies between a bed of nails as the wheel of a 2.5 ton car is lowered on top of him.
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A performer invites people to stand on him while he lies on a bed of nails at the ESP-Psychic Fair in Toronto.
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Vernon Craig, the bed-of-nails champion of the world, practices his art at the dedication of the Guinness World Records exhibition hall in New York.
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Czech stuntman Z. Zahradka performs his bed of nails act.
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A Fakir performer demonstrates the bed of nails trick.
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A Fakir performs a bed of nails trick with the help of an assistant.
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Mike Costello, also known as Blondini or the White Yogi, lies on a bed of nails while balancing a woman on his chest.
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Stuntman Jackie Paul lying on a bed of nails in front of a crowd.
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Stuntman John Dean has a seat of nails installed in his new car to help him train for his record attempt for lying on a bed of nails later in the year.
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