Renowned Indian yoga exponent and founder of Artistic Yoga Bharat Thakur set out on a mega cyclathon Yoga Chakra from Rudreshwar Chowk in Kathmandu on Sunday.

A dream project of Himalayan Master Thakur, the endeavour seeks to reach out and spread the message of yoga and world peace through the length and breadth of the Indian subcontinent, by touching the heart of the nation and taking yoga back to its roots.

The 90-day cyclathon led by Thakur and a team of Artistic Yoga was flagged off by the Indian Ambassador to Nepal Ranjit Rae amid a function. The team will travel through 2 countries,  11 Indian states, covering a distance of approximately 5,000km, culminating in the tip of India-Kanyakumari. The tour will be peppered with road shows, talks, demonstrations, workshops and interactions

with large gatherings promoting the empowering possibilities that Yoga has for the human being, the team said in a statement.

Part of Thakur’s vision of spreading the practice of yoga and healthy living among the masses, touching India’s striving metropolis and the rural life alike. The key cities covered by this marathon will include Kathmandu, Gorakhpur, Lucknow, Agra, Delhi, Jaipur, Kota, Bhopal, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Mysore, Cochin, Allepy and Kanyakumari. This mega yogathon will be joined by local icons, prominent personalities and citizens from various walks of life, making it a mass movement throughout the country.

Flagging off the initiative, Ambassador Rae said, “I am delighted to be part of this occasion as Bharat Thakur rides on a journey of yoga and peace uniting the entire Indian subcontinent.  I wish him all the best in this noble, unifying journey. I am a firm believer in the benefits of yoga and it is heartening to know that Bharat is taking it back to its roots in rural India and Nepal.”

On the endeavour, Thakur said “Getting in touch with our inner cord and invoking the roots of the Indian subcontinent has always intrigued me. My attempt through Yoga Chakra is to take a step towards reaching out to a lager section of the society by creating awareness among people with lesser access, about how Yoga is a complete way of life. I hope this cyclathon helps me reach a step closer to my ultimate vision of spreading yoga, peace and harmony.”