By Nina Bhattacharya

From August 3 to 10, 2025, 21 exploring and evolving adults from across the U.S. and Canada embarked on a weeklong yatra through the Great Plains. Travelling in RVs through six U.S. states – Colorado, Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas – yatris explored what it meant to “feel and flow” with one’s greater purpose.

This Chinmaya Inspiration Yatra (CIY), guided by Shri Vivek Gupta and Shri Suman Rajupet, marks the twentieth yatra organized by Chinmaya Mission Niagara. Each yatra represents a sacred unfolding of the essence of Oneness and a journey inward – and CIY XX was no different.

Each morning commenced with Vedik contemplation with Shri Vivekji, as well as daily discourse on Rishi Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras. Interspersed with intentional hikes, athletics, and many hours on the road, Shri Sumanji facilitated meaningful dialogue and discussion among yatris. Some highlights included hiking to over 10,000 feet elevation in Rocky Mountain National Park, guided visualization in a field of sunflowers in Nebraska, experiencing a drive-in movie theater in Kansas, and many nightly satsangs around the campfire.

As one yatri from Canada shared, “I learned the importance of accountability and adaptability… I reflected on my shift in perspective for needs vs. wants and understanding that expectations of the future should not exist to be truly present.”

Yatris were encouraged to embrace each moment, diving deeply into each conversation as an opportunity for self-development. And as they return to their universities and professional lives, the yatra continues—within each of them.