Varma Kalai is an Indian form of martial arts characterized by an emphasis on attacking the body's vital pressure points. It is used to stop an attacker without permanently injuring them.

Varma Kalai is an ancient Indian martial art that was originally developed as a method of healing the body. It emphasizes defense, and although the attacks target an opponents vital points, the goal is to stop an attacker without actually hurting them permanently; even in extreme situations, the emphasis is on committing as little violence as possible. Because of the emphasis on non-violence and a worry that the martial art could be taught to unworthy individuals, a Varma Kalai master, known as an aasaan, will never teach an individual all that they know.

The goal of Varma Kalai is to stop an attacker with as little violence as possible in order to avoid hurting the attacker permanently.

Varma Kalai is an ancient martial art with origins in Tamil Nadu, India. Originally, it was taught as a healing art, but eventually developed into a martial art. Though Varma Kalai is still taught at Tamil Nadu the art is not popular with the youth who choose to study less time-consuming martial arts. Worth mentioning is the fact that it would take about 10 years for a student to learn about 75% of Varma Kalai his master knows.

All training is done with the goal of preventing injury to the body; to train oneself without destroying oneself. The initial stages of training teach students proper breathing and meditation exercises designed to liberate the circulation of the body. As students progress through the training, they are taught principles of martial gymnastics; the movements and postures at this stage stretch and strengthen limbs, and are also said to “massage” the inner organs. Students then move on to learn basic form and attack through various individual and group exercises. Eventually, students progress to sparring stage where through hand-to-hand combat, they hone their skills. The training however is intensive and extensive; it would take about ten years for a student to learn about 75% of what their master knows.

Aasaan – a Varma Kalai master

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