Puma India has released a new campaign titled ‘Meditation in Motion’ featuring 40 Buddhist monks in Leh, ahead of the Ladakh Marathon, which runs from September 10-13.
The campaign features the monks in Leh, dressed in their traditional robes and Puma NITRO Deviate PURE shoes, framed against Ladakh’s landscape. It was shot at Thiksey Monastery, a 15th-century Tibetan Buddhist monastery.
The photoshoot captures the monks moving through the monastery’s pathways and gathering against Ladakh’s landscape, in their traditional robes set against a running silhouette.
“As a sports brand, we have seen that movement and meditation may take different forms- but they can often lead to the same place: a state of complete focus and presence,” said Ramprasad Sridharan, Managing Director, Puma India.
“Ladakh is an incredibly special race, and over our three-year association with the Ladakh Marathon, we have experienced first-hand the mental resolve it demands. As a sport brand heavily invested in growing the running ecosystem, we wanted to capture the less visible side of running — the mindset that takes over when the miles fall away and everything else fades out. ‘Meditation in Motion’ was born from this thought. Working closely with the Ladakh Marathon team and the Buddhist Monks of Leh, our team conceived and shot the campaign entirely in-house, resulting in one of the most evocative and meaningful pieces of work we have created at Puma India.”
“Running in Ladakh teaches you that you cannot fight the mountain, you have to understand it and embrace it. The altitude, the cold, the wind, the terrain, they all become part of the experience,” said Chewang Motup Goba, Founder and Race Director, Ladakh Marathon.
The Ladakh Marathon has always been about bracing yourself for the elements, but also learning to embrace them.
“That is where the connection with meditation becomes so interesting. You learn to quiet the mind, stay present and keep moving, one step at a time. The Ladakh Marathon has always been about bracing yourself for the elements, but also learning to embrace them.”
The Ladakh Marathon’s Silk Route Ultra spans 122 kilometres, beginning in the Nubra Valley at 10,700 feet and ascending to the Khardung La Pass at 17,618 feet.
