Chavutti Thirumal/Kalari Uzichil
massage by foot pressure Training Course
With Candida Valentino
Course Dates : Please click here to visit the current events page for latest dates
Frome, Somerset, UK
Self care training for the therapist :
Before starting the process to learn the treatment we will explore our own bodies, especially the legs and feet, practicing feet exercises and some Internal Martial arts warm ups that help strengthen the legs and thighs. This will help prepare you to give your treatments without straining your own physique, and be more aware of the lower body and your posture.
Learn the main sequence of moves which have been used for thousands of years by Kalaripayattu warriors and will be the basic structure of the treatment.
Studying Ayurvedic principles : Learn about Marma points and Nadis (energy channels) that will be also part of the treatment and can be added into your own knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology
Learn about the Ayurvedic oils that are used during this treatment, which help with arthritis/osteoarthritis, degenerative conditions, back pain, shoulder pain, knee pain and general unhealthy patterns in the body.
The course is currently available for two people at a time. Course fee £900 not including accommodation.
Chavutti course Level 1 : Full Body Sequence including Back, Front & Sides of the Body. 45 hours of tuition spread over 3 long weekends, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This Includes a combination of theory and practical application.
You will need practice between each weekend session in order to complete several case studies and to familiarise yourself with the sequences.
You will receive continued support and constructive feedback and receive certification after completing the final massage with the teacher.
Course Requirements : This is a post-graduate-level training so in order to attend, you will be required to hold the following qualifications : An anatomy and physiology qualification such as I.T.E.C and a massage or bodywork qualification.
You should have had some experience receiving Chavutti, either several Chavutti Thirumal treatments from either myself or from therapists in Kerala and have experienced Yoga – dance – or martial art training.
Candida has been practicing Chavutti Thirumal since the beginning of 1996. After several visits to Trivandrum in Kerala to train at the Yoga Therapy Institute set up by Dr Pillai, she went on to practice this massage at Natureworks in Mayfair, The Life Centre in Notting Hill Gate, Tri Yoga in Primrose Hill and also has participated on many Yoga retreats including a three month stay at a health spa in Sri Lanka called Ulpotha. In 2004 she returned to Kovalam to study with Vinay Kumar (dhanurvedam.com) whose family comes from a long line of Kalaripayattu warriors and healers. This has helped her deepen her understanding of the Chavutti Thirumal treatment and its related medicine.
Having spent many years practicing and giving treatments she is now wishes to pass on her 26 years of experience and knowledge of this amazing massage technique.
Candida currently lives in Frome in Somerset
Contact for more information including course dates and price.
candidavalentino@yahoo.co.uk
Recommended Reading
Extracts from Kalaripayat and Traditional Indian Medicine
Oils
“The patient receives a deep massage with oils that bring a feeling of lightness to the body. The application of oil maintains the elasticity of body tissue and protects them from dehydration. According to the surgeon Sushruta, someone who has an oil treatment regularly will be less affected by difficult work or by accidental injury (sprain or fracture). He recommends an oil treatment every day since is maintains good nutrition of the tissues, brightens the complexion, strengthens the body, relieves fatigue, improves vision and sleep , slows ageing and prolongs life.”
About the massage technique
“Kalaripayat has developed a unique system of massage using the feet called uzhichil. Holding ropes attached to the ceiling or walls, the masseur/se is better able to control the pressure of his feet on the body of the patient who is stretched out on the floor/mat
The masters say that “Paradoxically one is gentler with the feet because they are stronger. In all physical exercise, one must never engage with all one’s strength, but only use half of one’s strength”. The foot method is used with anyone from 14 upwards , hand are used for younger, very old and fragile , or someone who is ill.
Massages are given in a series over several days based on the strength or needs of the Kalaripayat student. The duration and depth of the massage is increased and decreased during each series. These massages are obligatory for students in martial arts and take place at least once a year for three consecutive years. When undergoing massage treatments, the patient has to follow certain rules of conduct, long rest periods, a bland diet with no saturated fats, sexual abstinence and protection from cold and heat.
The massage consists of continuous movement that flows like a dance and includes techniques of light touch, long gliding pressure in circles or ovals, along the body or across it, sometimes with traction that engages the muscle response, or using rubbing in one area or tapping.
With the upper and lower limbs the force of the massage is centrifugal (that is, pushing out from the centre) whereas with the upper part of the trunk down to the navel the force is centripetal (that is, tending towards the centre). The masseur/se is either treating knots, that is parcels of cellulite in the skin that are painful to the touch, or deep areas of conjunctive tissue that surround the muscle fibres. Several massage techniques are used including rubbing, kneading and percussive movements.”
