The End and the Beginning

Today marked the end of my training phase, and the end of the stay at the little white house.

I know, I said we wouldn't move again, but we did - to Lakshmiti's house, where Elise and Margarita are also staying. It is a good mix and Manuel stopped by as soon as he arrived, so I get the sense that we'll be a bit more social in the coming weeks, especially since I start treatment and that means no practice for me.

In Kalari, the healing side is just as important than the training side. The Gurukkal (Sherifka) is a master of working with the marma points and nadi channels to heal even deeply rooted physical (and mental/emotional) issues held in the body. There are various massages ranging from very gentle, to the deeper and more painful -also deeply healing treatments. Depending on what is to be achieved through treatment, there are times when the person must not train. This is the kind I'm getting to try to fix the migraines & a horseback riding injury from when I was 16.

Other treatments include: adhangal-manipulations, shirodhara-oil on the forehead (which began with kalari, and is now used widely in ayurveda), and kizhli (keeire) -which is herbs pressed into the skin. The type and length of treatment always depends on the needs of the individual.

So here's my understanding of what my treatment will look like-subject to change, of course:

• Morning Massage, not the oohhh feels sooo good kind, the ohmygod, I need to breathe deeper kind...(Yikes!)
• Resting
• No going outside the house between the hours of 11am & 5pm (Double YIKES!)
• No going up to the roof AT ALL...bummer- I think I'll fight them on this one!
• Nasyam oil treatment in the afternoon (oil up the nose & in the sinuses)
• More resting
• After 7 days of this I get to drink Castor Oil for purging- HOORAY!
• After one day of purging the whole thing starts again for 6 days, getting less and less intense until the last day
• Rest for a few days (I hope no more than 3-5)
• Practice for a few days
• Assist Gerhard in a workshop in Dubai
• COME HOME!

We'll see how it all goes... stay tuned.