Kalari Retreat
Indian Martial Arts Intensive
Sunshine Coast Hinterlands, 5th - 10th December 2024
6 days (5 nights) of Ancient Indian Martial Arts/Yoga and Ayurveda in Nature
It's happening again! For the 4th time! We are excited for this next one as it will be the first at our own Kalari Centre. If you want to develop discipline in body and mind, learn and develop martial and animal flows, weapons such as the wooden staff, combative and non combative forms - this is for you. You will also be feasting on supportive Ayurvedic meals prepared by our Ayurvedic practitioner and chef, and learn about Ayurvedic philosophies and cooking. Plus, we will hold a medicine workshop and from raw material make a traditional Kalari massage oil! Something very unique and supportive for your body.
We will be practicing predominantly the ancient Indian art - Kalaripayattu and Kalari Yoga.
Kalaripayattu (Kalari) is part of India's ancient indigenous martial, meditational & medicinal tradition that evolved alongside Yoga & Ayurveda. It is a complete system of body-oriented therapy with an emphasis on the expansion and development of the senses; a paradigm commonly called 'when the body becomes all eyes'.
Training will be indoors and outdoors (weather permitting) in amongst the beautiful trees and plants.
Join our martial arts immersion in the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterlands 5 - 10th December
In the daily Kalaripayattu classes you will be learning aspects of traditional martial arts including:
- mobility/flexility focused warm ups, body conditioning, kicks, upper and lower body attacks
- Kalari yoga
- martial and animal movements/flows
- weapons (e.g long/short wooden staff)
- combative and non-combative forms
- self defence
- meditation and breathing exercises
We will also have an Ayurvedic philosophy and cooking session, and evening meditations, a medicine making workshop and philosophy discussions.
You can choose to experience traditional Kalari Ayurvedic Massages (there are only a few sessions available). These are highly supportive of your training.
Mantras, Breathing and Meditation
Mantra's, breathing and meditation practices help us to slow down the mind, and develop concentration. When this happens our bodies can focus on the 'prana' (vital force) and subtle energies that support balance in our vital systems. We will spend a small amount of time on these practices (each day), learning about how they can support our training, but also in our every day lives. These practices are non-sectarian, so anyone from any culture can practice without having to leave or disrupt their own cultural/spiritual ways or beliefs.
Ayurvedic Philosophy and Cooking
What is going on with your gut? What kind of foods are suited to your unique body and mind? Ayurveda, 'the science of life' is an ancient science that can help us understand why certain kinds of food are best suited for us at different times of our lives (and in different seasons too!).
In our Ayurvedic session we are going to be preparing a very yummy dish/snack and discuss constitution analyses, and how to improve your digestion.
You will be eating Ayurvedic meals, with most dishes made of local/organic/gluten/diary free ingredients, but please let us know if you have food intolerances/sensitivities.
Medicine Making
Have you ever made a therapeutic body massage oil with raw herbs and ingredients? If not - get ready for some medicine making fun!
In our Kalari oil medicine making workshop we will be cooking an oil over a fire in a wok, boiling up some traditional herbs and brewing an oil in a very traditional way. We love sharing this unique practice with students. And you will also get to take some of the healing oil that you have put your hard work into creating home with you (and of course use during the retreat).
Meet Your Instructors Lalita Yagnik (primary instructor), Katrin Alexander (guest instructor) and Craig Mallett (guest instructor)
Lalita Yagnik, originally from India, is a Thyroid Naturopath, Kalari Ayurveda Practitioner, Kalaripayattu (Indian Martial art) and Kalari Yoga Instructor, and musician. She began studying Kalari Healing and Kalaripayattu in 2009 in Australia. Since then she visits India each year to study and train with her teachers, one of which was Sat Guru Hanuman Das, the founder of the Kalariyil Dharmikam Ashram in Kerala.
Lalita is currently practicing and teaching key Kalaripayattu exercises, forms, open combat sequences and weapon forms online and in person. Developing focus in the mind and body, while building a strong foundation through warm ups and basic practices are integral to her training.
Katrin started practising Kalarippayattu in 2010 when she visited the Kerala Kalarippayattu Academy (now Malabar Kalarippayat Academy) in Kannur, Kerala for the first time. She spent a total of 8 months spread over 4 years in Kannur to study the martial arts practice as well as the healing art marma chikitsa under Gurukkal C.M. Sherif. After teaching Kalari in Berlin, Germany, she moved on to Adelaide, South Australia before settling in Tasmania which she now calls home.
“I was attracted to the flowing powerful movements, never really by the fact that Kalari is a martial art. Coming from a yoga background, the internal work, making your body and mind as clear and strong as they can be, is my focus. Sharpening the senses, my intuition, the feeling of being capable of taking anything on at any time and bringing clarity and peace to the mind – that is why I still practice Kalari.”
Craig started exploring self-cultivation methods in 2003 and has always had a burning curiosity to discover and explore himself and the world around him, starting with the immediate reality of the body. He had many periods where he did the ‘deep dive’ into arts that would help satiate this curiosity, including almost a decade training traditional internal arts with his first internal martial arts teacher, and another decade with a second Daoist teacher. Having a lot of experience with many different modern modalities, mixed with the more traditional studies he has undertaken, brings him a unique vantage point.
Craig specializes in teaching internal and external physical practices, helping people to explore and restore their relationship to their body and internal landscape, and how that landscape relates to the external world. He aims to teach methods that are sustainable, and can be used by anyone from any culture, tradition or lineage, with the idea that these qualities can be explored as a layer over whatever activities each person enjoys pursuing. He has done his best to make teachings of this complex topic as simple and clear as possible so they are accessible to everyone.
As well as guiding people through the process of self cultivation, Craig is also trained in both esoteric and modern healing methods. He is regularly treating people with all kinds of ailments, from physical injuries to emotional turmoil or spiritual disturbances.
Meet Rachel Niclair and Jess Dawson, your amazing Ayurvedic Chefs
Rachel Niclair and Jess Dawson bring their combined expertise in Ayurveda, bodywork, and healing arts to offer nourishing Ayurvedic meals at the Kalari Retreat.
Rachel, an Ayurvedic therapist, lifestyle consultant, and yoga teacher, transformed her own life through Ayurveda. She now shares her passion for healing by crafting meals that align with ancient Ayurvedic principles, supporting digestion, energy, and overall vitality. Jess, a KaHuna massage therapist with a deep understanding of embodied expression, blends her healing skills into the culinary experience. Her intuitive approach creates meals that are not only delicious but are deeply nourishing, energetically balancing and full of love.
Together, Rachel and Jess create meals that are infused with intention, using time-honored wisdom to provide dishes that heal from within, leaving you feeling rejuvenated and deeply cared for during your retreat journey.
Student experiences from our retreat's
This Kalari retreat was life changing.
History making in terms of its significance to the direct cultural lineage of many of the participants. Wow. It felt so special to be part of making it happen. Also in terms of the shared martial arts lineage with India and China and other Asian countries we were practicing. It feels like there is just so much respect and appreciation for history and ancestry as we keep these ancient practices alive. This is seriously special stuff.
You successfully facilitated the perfect conditions where I felt wholly supported to engage deeply in the practice. Testament to your own gravitational pull of positivity and fearless determination to lift yourself and others up in this world. Serious respect. The introduction to Ayurvedic philosophy around health, diet, elements, cycles of energy levels, digestion, etc was so interesting and I have already set out to incorporate it into my diet, daily structure and mindfulness practices. Having Adam's added perspective to broaden my understanding of what martial arts in and how there is so much shared between them was mind blowing.
I more deeply see now how this practice is all about becoming a better person ~ Sebastian, Australia
Kalari Retreat Inclusions 5th - 10th December 2024
$2200/$1800
(early bird until 5th October/current student price)
Reserve your placeSchedule (TBC) - Arrive Thursday 5th December - Depart Tuesday 10th December 2024
Thursday 5th December
- 2pm - Welcome and check in
- 4pm - Welcome gathering
- 6:00pm - Dinner
Friday 6th December
- 6:45am- 9:00am - Training
- 9:30am - Breakfast
- 12:30pm - Lunch
- 3:30pm - 6:00pm Training
- 7:00pm - Dinner
- 7:30pm Evening fire, Philosophy/Meditation practices
Saturday 7th December
- 6:45am- 9:00am - Training
- 9:30am - Breakfast
- 12:30pm - Lunch
- 3:30pm - 6:00pm Training
- 7:00pm - Dinner
- 7:30pm Evening fire, Philosophy/Meditation practices
Sunday 8th December
- 6:45am- 9:00am - Training
- 9:30am - Breakfast
- 12:30pm - Lunch
- 3:30pm - 6:00pm Training
- 7:00pm - Dinner
- 7:30pm Evening fire, Philosophy/Meditation practices
Monday 9th December
- 6:45am- 9:00am - Training
- 9:30am - Breakfast
- 12:30pm - Lunch
- 3:30pm - 6:00pm Training
- 7:00pm - Dinner
- 7:30pm Evening fire, Philosophy/Meditation practices
Tuesday 10th December
- 7:00am- 9:30am - Training
- 10am - Breakfast
- 11am - Pack and leave
Reserve your spot and next steps
This intensive retreat is limited to 10 participants. If you are interested and would like to reserve your place:
- Choose whether you want to stay with us or if you are local to have your own accomodation (below). Prices below reflect an Early Bird discount until 5th October for current Kalari Healing students.
- Pay 50% deposit on booking and the rest 50% by 4th November (use the codes via the link).
- We will send you an application form to fill in (after review we may have a phone chat).
- Book your flights to Brisbane or Maroochydore if traveling from interstate and organise your travel via train/bus/taxi or alternative transport to and from Maroochydore or Eumundi Stations. Please plan to arrive by 12pm on the Thursday 5th December.
- We will contact you regarding preparing for the retreat at the end of October.
- Decide if you would like to be 1of 4 people to receive a Kalari massage. Let us know asap if this is you.
