Kalarippayattu is a Dravidian martial art from Tamil Nadu and Kerala. It is possibly one of the oldest fighting systems in existence today.

Aside from being an art of self-defence, the ancient Indian saints and ascetics formulated Kalari payat as a form of physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual development, so martial arts served as a vehicle to attain higher levels of spirituality and thereby attain self-realisation. The training focuses on the breath, concentration, and use of inner energy through meditation arts.

Kalari payat teachers often provide massages with medicinal oils to their students in order to increase their physical flexibility or to treat muscle injuries encountered during practice.

Types of Kalari

Through time Kalari developed into three parts. They are The Southern (Thekkan) Kalari, Northern (Vadakkan) Kalari and Central (Madhya) Kalari. These are the different styles of Kalari in practice in South India specifically in Kerala. All these styles are known for its uniqueness.

Kalari Yoga

Kalari Yoga is beautiful, yet dynamic and powerful form of yoga-based body-mind training. Through these fluid movements, it is aimed to unlock the body's natural flow of energy.

These yoga maneuvers and meditation serve as therapeutic body and mind treatments, which are unique to this art system.

The main difference between Kalari Yoga and other yoga traditions is the focus of the practitioner. The concept is that "the body becomes all eyes".

Kalari Yoga is not static. The way into the posture is just as important as the posture itself and some postures are actually only done in movement. At a later stage, postures are also intertwined with different turns and leg-swings in which the practitioner learns to momentarily surrender focus, and immediately powerfully regain it in the next posture.

THE BODY AS MUDRA

Another fascinating aspect of Kalari Yoga is the Mudras, commonly described as the posture of hands and fingers in classical Yoga. However, in Kalari, Mudras are performed with the whole body and are not static. This results in complex, and energetically very potent exercises, that require the power and routine.