By Theos Stamoulis
108 seekers from around the globe participated in the sixth annual Running from the Mind Challenge, organized by Chinmaya Mission Niagara. Like in years past, the challenge invited diverse seekers to run/walk without any media inputs. The purpose of this guidance and the challenge itself is to encourage seekers to become increasingly aware of their thoughts and quiet their minds through long distance running/walking.
Beginning in April on Hanuman Jayanti, the challenge spanned six months and each month, seekers engaged in community by sharing their personal reflections and run/walk efforts through regular email exchanges and a centralized dashboard on the Chinmaya Mission Niagara website.
One community of 26 seekers from Virginia even designed Running from the Mind t-shirts and banners with the tagline of “Train to Run. Run to Quieten.” Their energy and enthusiasm not only inspired other seekers but demonstrated how local connections can foster accountability and build new traditions.
The challenge concluded on the final day of Navratri (October 5) when most seekers completed a half-marathon (21.1 km/13.1 mi) in their respective cities, proudly sharing before and after photographs of their completed runs/walks. However, for some seekers, this year posed an additional challenge through the damage created by Hurricane Ian, a Category 1 hurricane that devastated the states of Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia. Power outages, flooded roads and fallen trees created some obstacles for seekers during their final runs, but eventually those seekers persevered, joyously completing their runs/walks.
As seekers shared their final reflections, their oneness and connection to Mother Earth was a common theme, further motivating community members to contribute approximately USD $60,000 to ongoing environmental campaigns organized by Chinmaya Mission Niagara.
Next year seekers look forward to building upon this year’s traditions, running together as an entire group in Ohio and further demonstrating the power of quieting the mind through community.
