Yogi Run 2019

Heritage, Culture and Nature.

By Veloscope

September 11^th, 2019

A run through our cultural heritage

Over a thousand runners ran through beautiful monoliths, that trace their documented origins back to the 4th century BCE. That is some very serious heritage, right in Bengaluru's backyard.

A run through our natural heritage

A half marathon, a 12k race and a 5k race, across various age and gender categories, through spectacularly beautiful green vistas.

A run for the elite athletes

Among the runners were folks who were keen on running on the toughest terrain in this geography, that helped them train for and perform highly at other races.

A run for everyone

The run had to offer for the amateur runners, the chance to meet and greet, learn more about our natural and cultural heritage, connect with traditional music, spend time exploring Yoga, appreciating the local community and returning home happy.

A fit spirit

The purpose of bringing in a powerful presence of Yoga at the run was to demonstrate how well these two efforts pair together. Breath is foundational to both, both are meditative, and both are holistic. By bringing in a yogic element to not just warm-up and cool-down exercises but as a way to build strength, flexibility and stability; more, to bring more calm and centeredness to life.

Fitness for mind and body

Participants found that they had enough chances to unplug, and get in touch with their own inner wellness in various ways. One of them was using running as a way to connect strongly to physical wellness. They ran with friends, took breaks to appreciate their efforts, ran through beauty, and boosted up their own confidence in their athletic ability.

Eco & adventure

There were some architectural wonders to appreciate while running up the hill or running down; there was the adventure of tracing the paths once taken by warriors from the Hoysala or the Vijayanagara kingdoms of yore, when protecting this fortress.

There is the thrill of possibly tracing the route of the British soldiers charging up and attacking Tipu Sultan's army in the third Anglo-Mysore War. This region has always been of strategic military importance, due to its proximity to Bangalore, and to experience a serene run, while maybe mentally chasing down ghosts of previous Nandi hills climbs, is quite apt.

Connection

As folks ran, they connected with each other, with the environment around them, with the various pieces of information they received about their cultural heritage and through all this, built a deeper and truer connection with themselves. The stretches and yoga post race helped towards this effort also.

Music that moves the spirit

Special care was taken to bring together musical experiences that were both traditional, and relevant. Beats from the pakhavaja, the mrudanga, and other Indian percussions instruments lent their sonorous sounds to add joy to the runners. Customised musical sets were given to the runners, so they could further connect to the region and have a truly immersive experience.

view from the roof of bangalore.

The local connection

The village nearby came out in full swing to help support the race. The locals helped cook and serve nutritious food, with delicacies special to their region and village. The prizes given out were symbolic, with a Nandi gently rotating atop a bicycle cassette mounted on wood, thus making the prizes both recycled and a precious and meaningful memento.