Angad: Six months foundation
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This is a foundational course for everyone. It starts gradually with conditioning, alignment and finishes with learning beautiful Karlakattai flows and combat strikes. The course will be conducted in live online classes of small groups. A certified senior level Karlakattai coach will be working out along with you & guiding you throughout the class. If you have questions on whether it is a good fit for you, refer to FAQs below.
- Course Structure:
- - We will begin with MeiPadam (full body flows), TaraiPadam (floor work) & short-sticks focusing on opening up our body & building basic strength endurance. We will specifically focus on various foundational functional movement patterns. There will be wide variety of movements to cover almost every joint and muscle in its full functional range of movement.
- - We will then move to Padi-Karlai and double hand sticks co-ordination, following this we will also include Kai Karlai in our practice.
- - We will also touch upon basics of combat Silambam, Podi-kucchi & Kuthu-varisai, and look how our practice carries over to these warrior arts. We will have special sessions for those interested in these combat arts.
- - By the end of the first four months, you will know around twelve primary sutrus with various variations and many full body workouts with sticks & Karlakattai to keep you fit & strong at home.
- - Last two months we will learn transitions and around ten transitions and flows combining various Sutrus. We will also be refinining form, increasing streangth-endurance in the Sutrus. We will also learn a few of intermediate Sutrus, basic footwork in Karlakattai.
- - At the end of every session there will be small QnA & discussion session, and slightly more focused one once every week. We will specifically focus on frameworks of movement in MeiPadam and Karlakattaia, philosophy behind it and how the various movements carry over to other sports, fitness regimes, Yoga Asanas and martial arts. There will also be review and interactive sessions.
- You don't need to have Karlakattai or sticks before joining the course. The course will be three to five days a week depending on the phase we are in.
- You are expected to maintain 75% attendence. Recordings will be provided if notified apriori. If you wish to follow solely from recordings and do at your convinient time then please contact separately.
- Per month fee is ₹2200/- if paid for three months or more or ₹2600/- per month. For outside India, it is $50 USD. Payment details are shown in the registration page.
- Read Faqs to know more or feel free to contact.
The course has 5:00am and 7:30am batches open for registration.
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Satyabhama: Intermediate practice
Preferred for those who have a basic foundational practice of three to six months. The course focuses on improving the form of basic level sutrus, introducing level-2 Sutrus, double hand sutrus, foot-work and building beautiful flows by combining different Sutrus. We will also focus on refining double hand short sticks, combat Silambam and Adi-varisai which will help you use the mobility and strength you have gained with your practice for self-defence. We will also try to progress to heavier Karlakattais safely such as PudiKarlai, KushtiKarlai, Idumban etc.
An upcoming 7:30am batch for this course is open for registration.
Click to register for Bhama course
MeiPadam & TaraiPadam
With 1500 unique free body flows & floor exercises inspired from various Shastra Kalas, we open up every joint, activate nerves from every corner of the body and build endurance of body & mind. Each dynamic movement is repeated for 108+ times along with rhythmic breathing / Kshatriya pranayama, while the body slowly finds its least resistance way to perform the task. During the movement the mind sets up in a meditative mood while the movement gets embedded in the muscle memory, ready to be used functionally in everyday life, sports and later karlakattai movements.
Short sticks & Padi Karlai
Short sticks or Podi-Kuchi is an excellent skill to learn after a few weeks of Mei-Padam practice. With single stick we will learn basic movement patterns of KaiKarlai rotations (sutrus). With two sticks we will do beautiful coordinated flows that relax our mind while also working on mobility and speed-endurance. Padi Karlai are small KarlaKattai clubs that resemble the shape of measuring tools used in olden times. These further bridge the gap between sticks and Kai-Karlai for a smoother progression. By themselves these have a particular swinging feel to them & are a joy to swing and workout with. When workouts are so immersive and fun then there is no question of getting inconsistent and achieving your fitness goal becomes a breeze.
Kai Karlai
Kai Karlai is an arm length Karlakattai with weight decided based on our body weigth. It has 64 primary movements called Sutrus which work on different areas. Together they form a complete strength-endurance training regime. Based on the training type and kind of Sutru one can achieve any fitness or health goal, be it gettting more jacked/slim, rehabilitating a joint or improving cardio-vascular system. Karlakattai raises our Prana shakti and prepares us for other Shastr:.
Silambam
Silambam is the umbrella term for all ayudh (weapon) arts of TamilNadu but specifically it is the big stick also termed as Lathi or Baint in other regions of India. The Ayudh is a form of Vel-khambu or spear of Murugan. It has various beautiful styles of Alangaram (aesthetic flows) & combat. The Sutrus and primary combat strikes are similar in their essense in all the Ayudhs be it Silambam or Karlakattai (Gada/sword/podi-kuchi). Silambam with its elaborate styles and systematic pedagogy is an excellent way to learn advanced skills, understand the deapth of Mei-Padam & Karlakattai and savour the Silambam arts to their fullest.
FAQs (Is it for me?)
1. Is it effective for losing weight?
MeiPadam keeps the heart-rate in aerobic range which is most effective for losing weight. MeiPadam and Karlakattai is done with rhythmic breathing/Kshatriya pranayama which improves hormone balance, fires metabolism and opens circulation to every organ & body part. With Karlakattai we build muscles , packing more muscles implies increasing calories burnt while on rest. There are specific Sutrus in Karlakattai that are especially effective in losing weight. Above all, being a holistic low impact endurance regime, it is the safest way to lose fat and become totally fit, even better than swimming/walking in many aspects. Once we start enjoying workouts, we will do exercise to have fun and feel energized for the rest of the day and staying fit after losing fat becomes a joy rather than a chore.
2. I am in my 30s/40s/50s/60s, had past injuries, is it safe for me?
We have students from teenagers to 60+ age old ladies with past injuries of shoulder, back, elbow etc. and all have been enjoying working out safely and their issues are getting resolved without them even noticing. Learning and practicing coordination skills have great benefits for mind especially as we age. These are low impact exercises and being an authentic time-tested practice it is structured in proper progressions. We will do MeiPadam, short-sticks and light weight Padi-karlai for weeks before even touching heavier Karlakattai. The Kai-Karlakattai are made with medicinal woods, dimensions and weight being decided based on the body weight. Having said this, if you are having some strict limitation or are recovering from injury or medical condition then feel free to contact and ask if it is safe for your specific issue.
3. How does it compare to yogasana practice?
In Patanjali yoga or Hatha yoga, Asanas are used as a precursor to dhyana to still the body before practicing the stillness of breath and mind. In Dhanurveda, asanas are used as solid foundation to practice Shastras. The focus is also in easily moving in and out of an asana while focusing on the movement of the shastra. We can understand our practice from this background. In MeiPadam we perform dynamic active moves for many repetitions and while doing so body opens up and joints realign to make the movement efficient. All this happens without passive force making MeiPadam much enjoyable, safer and easy for everyone. With short sticks and PadiKarlai, there comes a small force that massages our joints and strengthens us that is just not possible in without adding a weight. Kai-Karlai further adds to the beauty of the practice. With MeiPadam you will be able to do Yogasanas for dhyana too and for lot more duration and with more comfort.
4. Can I do it along with gym or yoga or other sports?
Yes, you can continue your sport and you will certainly benefit from the Karlakattai practice.
FAQs - Course Format
1. Do I need to have sticks and Karlakattai?
For the initial few weeks you don't need anything other than a yoga mat. You can get Karlakattai and short-sticks from us when those will be needed.
2. Is it effective to learn it online?
The practice is very systematic and progressive in nature. We will practice small steps for weeks before stringing them together to make complex movements. The body learns various simple movement patterns with MeiPadam and then utilize them for more coordinated movements in sticks and PadiKarlai. Once we learn movement patterns we load it up with Kai-Karlai to get more benefits.
3. Will there be theory and interactions?
After a few weeks of learning MeiPadam movements we will start slowly with discussions and review classes. We are building a community where not only you can learn theoretical aspects but you can actively participate in pushing the knowledge further. You will become a part of a community of active learners where we are studying, researching and learning topics of Dhanurveda, Ayurveda etc. and trying to relate it to our practice. Please refer to Community section to see what are the current topics that are being explored.
4. Why can't I just learn it from recordings or Youtube sessions?
It is best learnt when the teacher is getting constant feedback from the students. The choice of next movement depends on the feedback teacher gets from his body and feedback from the students. If the students are successfully doing a movement with fair bit of accuracy and ease then the next movement can be of higher difficulty or coordination if thats not the case then the next movement has to address the pain point specific to the students. The advice that the teacher gives after observing the students will also be unique for that student. You will get the recording for the class if you tell apriori about your absence. However, if you are missing too many classes then it is better to contact and start over later when you can take out time for the classes.
