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Online workshop: 1–7 Nov Register

Athma Kalari, not a destination but a journey
Students training in 2 rows on the red earth floor of the Athma Kalari pit

Residential training

Live at the gurukulam
and train twice a day

Stay with us in Chemmalasseri for 2 weeks, 1 month or 2 months. Your stay and 3 meals a day are included.

Training times

5:30AM & 5:30PM

Training times

2 to 2½ hours each, Sundays off

Program lengths

2wk/1mo/2mo

Program lengths

3 standard lengths, or a custom one

Included daily

3 meals

Included daily

Simple South Indian vegetarian food

To book

₹3,000

To book

Non-refundable, balance at check-in

The 3 programs

2 weeks, 1 month or 2 months

Prices in

2 weeks

Kalari Praramba

  • Kalari warm-up
  • Vandanam
  • Kaalukal × 6
  • Chuvadu × 1
  • Chumattadi × 1
  • Meypayattu × 1
  • Vadivu

₹16,000

Training, dorm and all meals

Check dates
Most chosen

1 month

Kalari Parijaya

  • Warm-up, Vandanam and Vadivu
  • Kaalukal × 8
  • Chuvadu × 2
  • Chumattadi × 1
  • Meypayattu × 2
  • Angachuvadu
  • Neduvadi and Vadiveeshal

₹25,500

Training, dorm and all meals

Check dates

2 months

Kalari Parisrema

  • Warm-up, Vandanam and Vadivu
  • Kaalukal × 10
  • Chuvadu × 3
  • Chumattadi × 2
  • Meypayattu × 3
  • Angachuvadu
  • Neduvadi and Vadiveeshal
  • Cheruvadi introduction

₹51,000

Training, dorm and all meals

Can be paid month by month

Check dates

Terms like Kaalukal, Chuvadu and Meypayattu are explained in the journal.

What the stay includes

Included in every program

  • 2 sessions a day

    Morning and evening in the kalari pit, with corrections from your teacher.

  • Tuesday meditation

    A guided meditation session every Tuesday.

  • 3 meals a day

    South Indian vegetarian food, made from seasonal local produce. Breakfast at 9:30 AM, lunch at 1:30 PM and dinner at 8:30 PM.

  • A stay in the dormitory

    This is our basic option. You can choose a room for 2 or a private room instead. A different room changes the total.

  • If you need to work

    You can take a nearby apartment with a desk and Wi-Fi, or work in the common areas between sessions.

  • A completion certificate

    Given at the end of your program.

Not included

  • Airport and station pickups · Our regular drivers charge fixed fares.
  • Treatments and massages · The optional packages are further down this page.
  • Kalari clothing · You can buy it at the gurukulam when you arrive.

If your plans change: we do not give refunds. Any money you have paid and not used stays as credit for a future visit.

A young Kalaripayattu student holding a fighting stance at Athma Kalari

Optional

Treatments for the first weeks

Beginners often have these alongside training. They help the body recover and loosen up in the first weeks. Each session is 75 minutes.

All Kalari therapies

3 days

Relax

  • Daily Uzhichil, a full-body massage
  • Daily Kizhi, herbal heat therapy
  • Steam therapy on alternate days

₹6,800

5 days

Destress

  • Daily Uzhichil
  • Dhara on 3 days
  • Kizhi on 2 days
  • Steam therapy on 2 days

₹11,500

7 days

Kalari Conditioning

  • Daily Uzhichil
  • Daily Kizhi
  • Steam therapy on alternate days
  • 1 traction session for full-body alignment

₹15,400

How to join

How booking works

  1. 01

    Choose your program

    2 weeks, 1 month or 2 months.

  2. 02

    Book with ₹3,000

    The booking fee holds your place and your room, and it is not refundable.

  3. 03

    Arrive at the gurukulam

    You pay the rest of your first month at check-in. Morning training starts at 5:30 AM.

Before you book

Common questions

If yours is not here, message us on WhatsApp. We usually reply the same day.

No. Every program starts from the warm-up and the basic stances, and beginners train alongside returning students.
Yes. Advanced students help guide the beginners during sessions.
You do not need to be fit to start. The first weeks focus mostly on mobility, and each student gets individual corrections.
Yes. What matters is that you want to learn. Regular Kalari practice also helps with weight loss.
Talk to Ashan before you start. If needed, we make a treatment plan for the injury first, then you begin training.
The minimum age is 7. There is no maximum, as long as you are willing and physically able.
Learning it fully takes decades. Each program has a syllabus that teaches as much as its length allows.
We recommend 2 months. The shorter programs are there if you cannot stay that long.
Residential programs run for up to 1 year.
Commands are in Malayalam. Instructions are in basic English.
Yes. There are no fixed batches, so you start on the day you arrive. If none of the standard lengths fits your travel plans, we can arrange a custom one.
3–4 sets of loose clothes for practice, a blanket and towels, and knee or ankle support if you need it. For check-in, Indian guests bring an Aadhaar card and a passport-size photo. Overseas guests bring a passport and visa or OCI card. Most other things can be bought locally.
Yes, 3 fresh South Indian vegetarian meals a day. Tell us about allergies in advance and we will work around them.
You can work remotely if your job allows it, study online, read or rest.
Not at the moment. We do not arrange academic study alongside Kalari training.
Pleasant most of the year. April to May is summer, and June to July is the rainy season.
Yes. They can train with you or just stay. Private rooms and apartments are available, and we will help you choose.
Yes, through the Teacher Training Courses. The Advanced TTC includes practical sessions on treatments.
We do not give refunds. Anything you have paid and not used stays with us as credit, and you can use it on a future visit.

Train in an 8th-generation Kerala kalari

Train twice a day in a traditional kalari pit.