Last week, I helped organise the Sri Chinmoy Oneness-Home Peace Run on the day it was in Oxford. In the morning we visited the Oxford Mindfulness centre at the Warneford hospital in Headington, within the Oxford University Department of Psychiatry.
The Mindfulness centre have been offering courses in meditation and mindfulness to help people deal with stress, depression and other life issues. Four years ago, we met with the founder of the Centre – Mark Williams when the Peace Run last went through Oxford.
The staff were very friendly and cheerful – a great advert for the benefits of meditation and mindfulness.
They welcomed the international team of Peace Runners for an hour, and we had a short meditation together.
After this morning meeting, the Peace Run visited Meadows School in Blackbird Leys and then began the long run to Bristol.
To keep up with the long schedule of 80 miles, we split the run into three parts. I took a couple of runners from Oxford to the village of Fernham. It was over quiet country roads, I often use for cycle training. The run was at a more sedate affair than my cycle training, but it was relaxing to go through the Oxfordshire countryside at a steady rate.
One of the great things about the Peace Run is the chance encounters with strangers on route. At our final village in Fernham, this gentleman took the torch and seemed moved to be able to take part in this Peace Run. He invited us in for a drink, but we still had a lot of miles to make by evening. We drove to Avebury to catch up with the other Peace Run team.
That was my contribution to the Peace Run for a day. I rejoined the Peace Run at the weekend at the Wales Botanic Gardens.
Holding torch in Wales Botanic Gardens. Photo Surabhamat
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