Name: 30 Day Kalari, Meditation, and Yoga Retreat in Kochi
Brand: Yoga Maithri
Rating: 10.0 (1 reviews)

India Yoga Retreat

It is claimed that learned warriors could disable or kill their opponents by merely striking the correct marmam (vital point). This is taught only to the most promising and level-headed persons to discourage misuse of the technique. Marmashastram stresses on the knowledge of marmam and is also used for marma treatment (marmachikitsa). This system of marma treatment comes under Siddha vaidhyam, attributed to the sage Agastya and his disciples.

Highlights

29 days of practice
1 yoga class per day
Daily guided meditation sessions
Morning pranayama and mudra lessons
Kalari practices and Kalari Marma massage
Daily breakfast, lunch, and dinner
29 nights accommodation
Airport transfers

29 days with instruction in English

The organizer also speaks: Arabic, Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil

Airport transfer included: Cochin International Airport

Program

Critics of kalarippayattu have pointed out that the application of marmam techniques against neutral outsiders has not always produced verifiable results. As a result of learning about the human body, Indian martial artists became knowledgeable in the field of traditional medicine and massage. Kalaripayattu teachers often provide massages (uzhichil) with medicinal oils to their students in order to increase their physical flexibility or to treat muscle injuries encountered during practice.

Such massages are generally termed thirumal and the unique massage given to increase flexibility is known as katcha thirumal. It is said to be as sophisticated as the uzhichil treatment of Ayurveda. Kalaripayattu has borrowed extensively from Ayurveda and equally lends to it. This is a 30-day program with yoga, meditation, and Kalari Marma (vital points) massage. The program is available all year, perfectly designed 30 days stay in a single air-conditioned room.

You will take part in daily morning yoga, meditation sessions, and herbal drinks, daily evening Kalari practice (training), 12 Kalari Marma massage, one Kerala kathakali live performance, one Bharatanatyam dance (Indian classical dance) live program, one Backwater island tour with a small canoe boat, and one Cherai Beach (Vypin island) tour.

Daily schedule

07:00 Yoga, pranayama, meditation, mudras and Kalari Practice
09:00 Herbal drink
09:30 Pranayama, meditation, and mudras
10:30 Breakfast (fruits, nuts, tender coconut)
12:30 Vegetarian lunch
14.00 silent meditation
17:00 Herbal drinks
17:30 Kalari practice
20:15 Dinner

Location

This retreat will take place in Fort Kochi, Kerala, India.

Kerala, the land of ‘green magic‘, is a narrow, fertile coastal strip bordered by the Western Ghats on the southwest coast of India. These high mountains have sheltered Kerala from invaders from the rest of India but at the same time, Kerala has a very long history of contact with the outside world. In Cochin, there is still a small community, descendants of Jewish settlers who ﬂed from Palestine 2000 years ago. Kerala has also had Christians for as long as Christianity has been in Europe!

The Portuguese were more than a little surprised to find Christianity already established along the Malabar coast when they arrived here 500 years ago. And more than a little annoyed that these Christians had never heard of the Pope. Long before Vasco da Gama led the Portuguese to India the coast had been known to the Phoenicians who came in search of spices, sandalwood and ivory. Kerala was not only a spice centre in its own right but also a trans-shipment point from the Moluccas. The Biblical Ophir, visited by King Solomon, is also thought to be in Kerala at the site of the small village of Puvar, south of Trivandrum. The Arabs and Chinese also made their mark on Kerala and ﬁsher- men still use Chinese ﬁshing nets to this day.

Fort Kochi – St. Francis church

This is the oldest church constructed by the Europeans on Indian soil. Vasco Da Gama The first European to reach India by sailing around Africa died in Cochin in 1524 and his tomb is here. It was built in 1503 by Portuguese Franciscan friars who accompanied the expedition led by Peäro Alvarez Gabral. The original structure was one of wood but the church was later rebuilt in stone around the middle of the 16th century - the earliest Portuguese inscription found in the church dates back to 1562.

In 1663 it passed into the hands of the Protest ant Dutch with their capture of Cochin and they later restored it in 1779. After the occupation of Cochin by the British in 1795, it became an Anglican church and is at present used by the Church of South India. Although it's the earliest church con structured by Europeans in India Christianity has a much longer history on the Malabar coast. Tradition has it that St Thomas the Apostle landed here in AD 52 though there's no archaeological evidence to support this and the first documentary evidence of churches in Kerala comes from the accounts of a Byzantine monk who travelled here in the 6th century.

By the middle of the 9th century, the Christian communities were playing an important part in the trade and commerce of this area and there are records of substan trial gifts of property to the Church of Teresa (no longer in existence) during the reign of Sthanu Ravi (844-85). These earlier Christian communities were all Syrian Orthodox and, until the 16th century when the Portuguese put a stop to the practice in their efforts to enforce the supremacy of Rome, all the Keralan bishops were brought from Persia and Mesopotamia. This suppression of the Syrian Church was only partially successful, however, and even today there are many Syrian Orthodox churches to be found in Kerala. Also in Fort Cochin is the much later Cathedral of Santa Cruz which is worth a Visit.

Chinese Fishing Nets

Strung out along the tip of Fort Cochin opposite Vypeen Island, these cantilevered fishing nets were introduced by traders from the court of Kublai Khan. You can also see them along the back waters between Cochin and Kottayam and between Alleppey and Quilon.

Mattancherry Palace

The 'Dutch' Palace was built by the Portuguese in 1557 and presented to the Cochin Raja, Veera Kerala Varma (1537- 61), as a gesture of goodwill (and prob ably as a means of securing trading privileges). It was substantially renovated by the Dutch after 1663, hence its other name, the 'Dutch' Palace. It's a double-storied quadrangular building surrounding a central courtyard contain ing a Hindu temple.

The central hall on the first floor was the Coronation Hall of the Rajas of Cochin and there is a display thereof of dresses, turbans and palanquins which once belonged to these rulers. The most important aspect of this palace, however, is the astonishing murals in the bed-chambers and other rooms, depicting scenes from the Rama yana and Puranic legends connected with Shiva, Vishnu, Krishna, Kumara and Durga. These are without doubt some of the most beautiful and extensive you will see anywhere in India.

You can pick up pamphlet after pamphlet of Indian tourist literature containing breathless eulogies of the murals at Ajanta and Ellora but never see a mention of these yet they are one of the wonders of India. It's worth coming to Cochinju to see these murals alone! There are similar murals at the Shiva temple in Ettumanur (a few km north of Kottayam). The Palace is open daily between 9 a.m and 5 p.m. Entrance is free but flash photography is prohibited (which effectively precludes photography)

The Jewish Synagogue

Built in 1567, this is the oldest syna gogue in the Commonwealth. It was preceded by an earlier one at Kochan Gadi, built in 1344, which has since disappeared although a stone slab in scribed in Hebrew from this earlier building can be found on the inner surface of the wall which surrounds the present synagogue. The present building was smashed up by the Portuguese in 1662 and rebuilt two years later when the Dutch took over Cochin.

It's an interesting little place with hand painted, willow-pattern floor tiles (no two alike) brought from Canton, China, in the mid-18th century by Ezekial Rahabi who had trading interests in that city. He was also responsible for the erection of the clock tower which surmounts the building. The synagogue is open daily from 10 a.m. to 12 noon and from 3 p.m. until 5 p.m. except Saturdays and Jewish holidays. The entrance is free. The synagogue guardian is very friendly, keen to tell you about the history of the place and the Jewish community here and to talk about what's happening in the rest of the world. He speaks fluent English.

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Food

The following meals are included:

Breakfast
Lunch
Dinner
Drinks

The following drinks are included:

The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:

Vegetarian
Naturopathic

If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation

How to get there

Recommended Airports

COK

Cochin International Airport

26 km

Transfer included

Arrival by airplane

Please book your flight to arrive at Cochin International Airport (COK). Transfer from and to the airport is included. Yoga Maithri will pick you up from the airport.

Airport: Cochin International Airport Airport transfer included: Cochin International Airport No additional charges. You can request this in the next step.

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