Patrick Denaud

Kalaripayat

The Martial Arts Tradition of India

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

MARTIAL ARTS / INDIA "In order to grasp the common essence of the martial arts, or the original unity of mankind for that matter, it is necessary to understand the truth of history. Patrick Denaud's Kalaripayat reveals many important pieces of this enigmatic and fascinating puzzle. It is an important book for serious students of all martial arts." --William Gleason, author of Aikido and Words of Power and The Spiritual Foundations of Aikido Originating in the southern Indian province of Kerala, kalaripayat is the most ancient of the Eastern martial arts. Yet today it has been practically forgotten. Former CBS war correspondent Patrick Denaud looks at this neglected tradition, whose history spans millennia, from the time it was transmitted by the god Vishnu to the sage Parasurama and his twenty-one disciples, the original Gurukkals, to its present-day practice. More than an art of combat, kalaripayat is a way of life and a spiritual discipline. Its martial techniques are designed to create states propitious for deep meditation. Long the jealously guarded art of the Nair warriors of southern India, kalaripayat was banned by the British East India Company in 1793 and was long believed by outside observers to be extinct. Several Gurukkals continued a clandestine practice and secretly trained the students who would transmit the teachings to today's keepers of the art, such as Gurukkal P. S. Balachandran. Like other spiritual disciplines, kalaripayat draws from the science of breath. Focused, silent breathing creates highly concentrated trance states and helps control the inner circulation of vital energy. The practitioner learns not only how to be a capable fighter with or without weapons but also an accomplished healer. The emphasis of this practice on circulating energy throughout the body is not only of interest to martial arts practitioners but also to all those interested in the harmonious development of the self. PATRICK DENAUD is a former war correspondent for CBS News and a documentary filmmaker. He lives in France.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Inner Traditions/Bear & Company
• Seitenzahl: 192
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Oktober 2009
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 228mm x 151mm x 19mm
• Gewicht: 318g
• ISBN-13: 9781594773150
• ISBN-10: 1594773157
• Artikelnr.: 26561122

Autorenporträt

Patrick Denaud is a former war correspondent for CBS News and a documentary filmmaker. He lives in France.

Inhaltsangabe

Acknowledgments
Foreword
Kalaripayat : Record and Portent
By Thierry Plée, French Publisher
Foreword
The Indian Legacy of Martial Arts
By P. K . Kapur of the Indian Embassy
Foreword
The Noble Art of Kalaripayat
By Marie Claire Restoux, 1995 World Judo Champion
Introduction: Kalaripayat and the Indian Soul
1 The Historical and Philosophical Origins of Kalaripayat
Kerala
An Origin in Myth
Nair Warriors
The Ten Principles of Kalaripayat
2 The Practice of Kalaripayat
Training in the Kalari
Combat System
Weapons
Northern Style and Southern Style
3 The Psychology of Combat
Fear (Bhayam)
Looking Ahead and Anticipating in Combat
Use of the Eyes in Combat
Shouting with the Attack
4 Kalaripayat and Traditional Indian Medicine
The Healing Role of the Gurukkal
Massage
Pressure Points (Marman)
Cleansing and Purifying the Body
Food
Breathing and Cardiac Control
Longevity and Immortality
5 Kalaripayat and Other Cultural and Spiritual Traditions of Kerala
Traditional Festivals of Kerala
Fire Walking
Kalaripayat and Kathakali
Spirituality and Meditation
Legends and Tales of Kalaripayat
6 The Kalaripayat Way of Life
The Meeting: Madras, 1994
A Kalaripayat Master’s Day
Interviews with Two Masters
Kalaripayat Practitioners
7 The Influence of India on Asia and of Kalaripayat on the Martial Arts
India’s Noble Art of War
Buddha: Martial Art Adept
The Spread of Brahmanism to China
Chinese Yoga: Tai Chi Chuan
Bodhidharma or Da Mo
Appendix: Where to Practice
In India
In France
Glossary
Index