About the Training

The training is taught in English. German translation is available.

Kalari was originally created as martial art and healing art, but it’s unique psychophysical approach to human training make it of timeless and immeasurably value to anyone looking for a tool for holistic health, personal transformation and growth. This Training is perfect for any Yogi, mover, martial artist, dancer or any other practitioner looking to immerse into one of the original root arts of holistic human movement.

The Kalari Weekend Intensive is for beginners and intermediate students alike. For beginners, it is your initiation and the beginning of your journey. The prime goal of the Weekend Intensive is to provide you with an understanding of the general scope and nature of the Kalari practice. It will also give you enough foundation to attend any of our ongoing open Kalari classes. It can also serve as a potential primer for the Kalari.org Practitioner Training.

For returning students, the Weekend Intensive offers the rare and necessary opportunity to immerse into the practice, refine and polish what you have learned, practice with your peers and potentially even learn new forms and sequences. Each intensive also provides you with 10h of credit for the upcoming Kalari.org 200h TT.

Friday 19.00-21.00 | Session I: Welcome and Introduction

We will start the weekend with the introduction of the participants and the Kalari. You will learn about the basic phychophysical posture of the practice and the Abhyassis, as Kalari Practitioners are traditionally called. As one of the arts Senior Teachers in the West, Kai will also give a brief introduction to the art’s tradition and history, as well as the differences to other contemporary movement arts, martial arts and yoga.

Saturday 09.00-11.00 | Session II: Embodying the Animal Spirit

Your first encounter with the Kalari practice is through the so called Animal Postures, Ashta Vadivu. Practicing these ancient, simple, and yet profoundly powerful and deep postures alone can trigger a powerful process of transformation. They constitute the psychophysical foundation of the Kalari practice. Become familiar with the concept of posture in Kalari, and also learn how it differs from what you might have learned in other traditions like Hatha Yoga.

Saturday 13.00-15.00 | Session III: The Salutation Form

Watching the opening sequence of the Puthara and Kalari Vandanam can be mesmerizing. This ancient sequence is flowing with sublime grace, yet grounded and structured at the same time. The Salutation Form has been opening the space for regular Kalari practices, as well as ritual duels for millennia, its practitioners utilizing its subtle power to enter a state of detached clarity and awakened energy.

Sunday 09.00-11.00 | Session IV: The Male Form

Male and female sequencing takes us deep into the heart of Vadakkan Sampradayam, the Northern Style of Kalarippayat. We will start with the Male Form, tapping into what the scriptures call “transformative fury” with a one-pointed focus, which is ultimately a fierce invitation for our Kundalini to rise, as well a powerful tool of personal transformation.

Sunday 13.00-15.00 | Session V: The Female Form

Now we are ready to take our first steps in the Female Form, expanding our senses outwards into a state of maximum sensory awareness. This is where we put the energy previously created in the male form into action, losing and regaining focus, jumping, crouching low and rising high. The Arapukai is not just a set of techniques, it tells an ancient story of cosmic creation.

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Your Teachers

Kai Hitzer

Kai Hitzer

The founder and director of Kalari.org, Kai discovered Kalari in early 2004 while looking for effective exercise to help his recovery from a severe slip disc syndrom. inspired by this experience, he embarked on his first 6-months trip to Kerala in Southern India, starting his studies under Kalari Grandmaster Gurukkal C.M. Sherif of Kannur.

Deva Kamila

Deva Kamila

Deva is a proud mother of five, an ex-track and field athlete and a professional relaxation therapist and bodyworker by her initial background. She has been a meditator and body-worker for almost 20 years and is the founder of ArtofNoMind, a  holistic system of Kalarippayat, deep bodywork, meditation, nutrition and transformative life coaching.
„Relaxation is a matter of being, not a matter of knowing“ is her motto. Deva’s personal path felt complete when she encountered Kalari in 2015. It became part of her daily practice, and she started teaching herself in late 2017.
Her work knows no segregation, but her current work focuses on the empowerment of today’s women in the KalariWomenTribe and her Holistic Woman Workshops, that started to blossom in major German cities like Hamburg, Berlin and Munich. She is the strong women behind Kalari.org and is regularly assisting Kai in his larger workshops and trainings.
Deva on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/artofnomind/

Booking and Registration

Training Location

Center of Gravity Talstr. 19 20359 Hamburg, Germany

Travel

To travel from Hamburg Airport to the Center of Gravity is a 34min ride with S1 Train to “Reeperbahn” station which will cost 3,20€. When you get off the train look for the exit stairs to “Talstraße” and take a left into “Talstraße”. After a 100m walk the studio will be in a backyard on the left side behind a metal gate. Use http://www.hvv.de/en/ to get information about connection times.

Food and Accommodation

We offer tea and snacks during the training. The Center of Gravity offers places to sleep, which will be available in return for donations to the Center. There are many cozy spots to choose from, including a dais in the entrance area, as well as a separated corner normally reserved for bodywork and relaxation. The Center features a small tea kitchen, which is not suitable for full-fledged cooking, as well as two bathrooms and a shower.