As well as meditation, Sri Chinmoy encouraged sports and physical fitness as an excellent complement to meditation. Sri Chinmoy said the inner life and outer life should go together. Through running we can help to clear our mind and make ourself more ready to try and still the mind in meditation. Also, the physical fitness and sense of dynamism we gain from running can be of assistance in our own efforts to dive deeper in meditations.

With running, Sri Chinmoy suggests we should see the challenge – not to defeat others in a race – but as an effort to pursue our own self-transcendence – seeking to go beyond our own previous limits in both mind, body and spirit.

“Self-transcendence gives us joy in boundless measure. When we transcend ourselves, we do not compete with others. We do not compete with the rest of the world, but at every moment we compete with ourselves. We compete only with our previous achievements. And each time we surpass our previous achievements, we get joy.”

– Sri Chinmoy

Since the early 1980s, the London Sri Chinmoy Marathon Team have regularly put on running races – from short two-mile events to the annual 24-hour race at Tooting Bec.

Sri Chinmoy Races are known for their friendly and inclusive spirit, and over the years we have welcomed many runners – from beginners to amateurs and professionals to our races.

If you would like a new challenge, you would be very welcome to come and meet us at our Battersea Park Races, held from May through until November.

For more details see: UK Sri Chinmoy Races

Sri Chinmoy Peace Mile

On 15 March 1986, Sri Chinmoy visited London Battersea Park and dedicated a mile to peace along the riverfront.

This Peace Mile one was the first of many Peace Miles established around the world. It provides an opportunity for people to walk or run a mile and to share in the world’s common aspiration for a more peaceful future.