PUMA puts monks in running shoes to bring mindfulness to motion

What do Buddhist monks and marathon runners have in common? According to PUMA India, quite a lot. PUMA India has launched “Meditation in motion”, a campaign that brings Buddhist monks into the world of running to explore the parallels between meditation and endurance sport.

Shot at the 15th-century Thiksey Monastery in Leh, the campaign sees monks dressed in their traditional robes and PUMA Nitro Deviate Pure running shoes, creating an unexpected visual juxtaposition against Ladakh’s stark landscape.

The creative idea rests on a simple tension: meditation and running may appear to be opposite practices, but both demand focus, discipline and the ability to stay present.

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The campaign’s hero visual captures that contrast, with six frames showing the monks moving through the monastery and gathering against the surrounding landscape. Their robes and the modern running silhouette of the shoes become the visual shorthand for the meeting of ancient practice and modern performance.

The campaign comes ahead of the Ladakh Marathon, which takes place from 10 to 13 September. PUMA India is the race’s exclusive sportswear partner and will provide race-day apparel across categories, including additional performance gear for participants in the 122km Silk Route Ultra.

The campaign was developed and shot entirely in-house by PUMA India, in collaboration with Ladakh Marathon and Buddhist monks in Leh. 

For PUMA, the connection also taps into the less visible side of running, where mental endurance can be just as important as physical performance.

“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," he added. 

Chewang Motup Goba, founder and race director of the Ladakh Marathon, said the connection reflects the mental approach needed to navigate the race's extreme conditions.

“Running in Ladakh teaches you that you cannot fight the mountain, you have to understand it and embrace it,” he said. “The altitude, the cold, the wind, the terrain, they all become part of the experience.”

The idea of running as more than a physical pursuit has also been explored by other sportswear and wellness brands. Nike previously partnered with meditation app Headspace to bring guided mindfulness runs to the Nike Run Club app, while adidas’ 2020 “Run to reconnect” campaign positioned running as a way to manage everyday stress.

More recently in May, On teamed up with wellness grocer Erewhon on a wellness club spanning running, training, recovery and nutrition.

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