While six of the 12 pairs of meridians have negative polarity (Shakti, yin, ida), six

are of the positive polarity (Shiva, yang, pingala). The negative meridians begin from
the toes or the middle of the body and go upward to the head. The positive
meridians begin at the head and go down. The intensity of prana flow varies
according to the time of the day, peaking and diminishing in a 12-hour cycle. A
marma point is most vulnerable when prana is flowing through it.

The prana leaves the lungs at dawn between 1.00 a.m. and 3.00 a.m. and returns
after flowing through 13 other channels within 24 hours. When the flow of prana is
disturbed, the corresponding organ is affected. A study of the exact location of prana
is imperative for marma adi to be effective, for it works only if the blow is precisely
on the marma point. The hit should also be vertical. This excessive stress on a
precise hit and the years of practice it demands has stymied the popularity of this
martial art form.

Two kinds of weapons can be used in marma adi: natural and artificial. The natural
weapons include various hand and finger strikes including snake strike, dart strike,
mantis strike and dragon fist strike. The metamorphosis of your hand from a wobbly
five-fingered prong to a deadly weapon requires much practice, including jabbing
your fingers on leather strips, wood, wall or even a bucketful of sand. But before
doing any of these, make sure that you massage your palms, fingers and wrists with
oil to regulate the blood circulation. Usually these exercises are recommended three
days a week, with a gradual increase in the strain. If martial arts remind you of
Bruce Lee gracefully slashing the wind with lightning strikes, marma adi will revise
your opinion. You might use a stick, your house keys, a spoon, or even a corner of
War and Peace to hit an assailant on the marma points. Each item works as well.

Not to heal, though.

You strike the marma points to hit, and press with

your thumb or the index finger to heal. For example,
if lohit, a marma point on the leg, is struck, it results
in paralysis. But the same marma is treated with
moderate circular and deep pressure to treat
paralysis. Similarly, marma vipat near the groin,
when struck, can cause impotency while the same
marma, when massaged, cures impotency. When
somebody hits the marma, the flow of prana is
disturbed and can be treated either by marma itself
or acupressure. Those who have watched the Tamil hit movie Indian, or its Hindi
version Hindustani would get an inkling of marma adi through those intricate jabs the
hero Kamal Haasan uses to kill or maim his enemies, and which are later used by a
marma master from Kerala to heal one of the victims.

Marma adi, unlike some other martial art forms, cannot be learnt in regular schools.
The technique, handed down from one generation to the next within a family, is
taught only to the most exceptional and dedicated students. It is possible to find
marma masters in some gurukkals (teachers) of kalarippayat in Kerala.

What makes marma adi even more difficult to practice, especially as a form of
defence, is the inaccessibility of many marma points. You can hardly pull out the
shoes of an assailant to hit at his soles. Or trace the exact marma point up his spine.
As a healing technique, however, marma adi is potent. And since that, in essence, is
its function, marma has been, and continues to be, one of the most revered
traditions of Indian healing systems.

"The effectiveness of marma healing is almost 100 per cent," says Sunil Kumar, son
and disciple of K. Narayanan Gurukkal, a marma master based in the southern
Indian state of Kerala. "It takes six weeks for a fracture to be healed through
marma. Paralysis can be treated in three months. Other ailments such as
spondylosis, nervous disorders, sciatic and rheumatic problems can also be treated
with marma." It is, however, important to study the patient first, find out whether he
is a vata (air), pitta (bile) or kapha (phlegm). "Vata type of people respond best to
marma," says Sudhakaran, a student of marma. "Kapha and pitta types require
medication as well as marma."

At present, marma treatment is available only in Kerala. The system takes 8-10
years to learn and is used for three basic purposes: healing, massaging and
increasing physical flexibility. A student can heal independently after he completes
his course and works as an apprentice with his guru for two to three years. Though
this ancient art is gradually finding its way into the mainstream of life, it has retained
its exclusivity through a strong guru-disciple tradition. Says Sunil Kumar: "The first
thing we are taught is to respect our elders, our guru being the foremost. Marma is
not only a technique but a way of life."

SIX BASIC CATEGORIES OF MARMA POINTS

Maasa Marma (on the skin)

Asthi Marma (at bones)

Snayu Marma (at the muscles)

Dhamani Marma (at arteries)

Sandhi Marma (at the joints)

Shira Marma (at the nerves/veins)

Marma Shastra
Marma Shastra is an ancient art of healing before Ayurvedic time. Maha Rishi
Agasthya described 108 energy amplification points in the human body which
are directly connected to the chakra system to facilitate the circulation of vital
force energy all over the body. These points are known as Marma points.
These points direct and control Prana to the functional level of the body.

Marma Shastra shows us how to balance this energy in Chakras and the
circulatory system via the Marma points. It also shows us how to get the body
and mind in balance. Any disease can be cured accurately by knowing the
affected Marma Points.

Our finger tips which are used to point the way, discharge a great deal of
energy. In Marma Shastra, finger tips are used to channel energy from the
chakra system through the Marma points. There are many miracles related to
the sensation of touching, and the transference of energy through the fingertips
from one man to another.

Many modern drugs while easing the symptoms, without eradicating the
disease, produce many side effects. The patient already crippled with induced
chronic side effects can turn to Marmaki for relief. Many people come to the
Marmaki Center after modern medicine has 'given up' on them. They are more
often searching for miracle cures and are goaded by sensational reports of
successful healings.

There are three modes of material nature: goodness, passion, and ignorance. Though the
living being is imperishable, he is bound in the body by these three modes.”

Ran Dass
Marma Massage
Marma In Brief
The Marmas (vital points) are a very important part of Ayurvedic anatomy and
surgery. A Marma point is defined as an anatomical site where flesh, veins, arteries,
tendons, bones and joints meet up. There are 107 Marma points throughout the
body. Each point has it’s own intelligence and consciousness, which co-ordinate with
the mind and body. This ancient form of treatment dating back to between 1500 —
1200 BC involves using the fingers to stimulate the Marma points thereby promoting
physical and mental rehabilitation. As with Acupuncture, these points correspond to
internal organs and systems of the body which react to manual stimulation.

What is Marma?
Marma are certain vital areas of the body. The word marma comes from Sanskrit
origin mru or marr. The Sanskrit phrase, Marayate Iti Marmani, means there is
likelihood of death or serious damage to health after infliction to these places and
hence these areas are called marma.

Marma is also thought to be a Sanskrit word meaning hidden or secret. By definition,

a marma point is a juncture on the body where two or more types of tissue meet,
such as muscles, veins, ligaments, bones or joints.

What are Marma Points?

There are total 107 Marma in the body. In Tamil traditions they are 108 Marma
points, and in Kalari tradition there are 365 Marma points. The points were mapped
out in detail centuries ago in the Sushruta Samhita, a classic Ayurvedic text. Major
marma points correspond to the seven chakras, or energy centers of the body, while
minor points radiate out along the torso and limbs. The points cover both the front
and back body, including 22 on the lower extremities, 22 on the arms, 12 on the
 chest and stomach, 14 on the back, and 37 on the head and neck. (The mind is
considered the 108th marma.) Each has its onw Sanskrit name given by Sushruta,
one of the founding fathers of Ayurvedic medicin

The human body, like a machine needs servicing in order to function normally. The
Hindu healthcare system uses Marma massage as a routine part of their preventative
medicine. A professional therapist isolates the Marma points and cleans them out by
increasing the blood flow to the affected part of the neuro-muscular junction. They
also aim to tone the surrounding muscles.

• Through centuries of practice it has been observed that the following

symptoms are alleviated through Marma massage:
o Nervousness & anxiety
o Light headedness
o Numbness or metallic taste in the mouth
o Tingling in the fingertips and toes
o Stress at work & home
o Lack of energy
o Weakness in general
o Muscular aches & pains including back and neck

History of Marma Massage

Marma-point massage dates back to southern India circa 1500 BC. Masters of kalari,
an ancient martial art, first discovered the power of marma points. In battle, kalari
fighters targeted an opponent's marma points as a way to inflict pain and injury.
According to kalari lore, people have 12 marma points that, when hit with a knockout
blow, can cause instant death. These areas were so important that soldiers even
used armor to protect their horses' marma points while riding into battle.
Along with their ability to kill, however, comes an ability to heal. Wounded kalari
fighters were nursed back to health with marma therapy. Practitioners used marma-
point massage to stimulate healing in areas that corresponded to the soldier's
injuries. If a warrior suffered a blow to the small intestines, for example, the marma
point on the back of the calf, which corresponds directly with the upper intestine,
would be massaged to trigger a healing flow of energy to the injury. Eventually,
Ayurvedic physicians around India learned of the technique's powers and brought
kalari masters into hospitals to teach the art. Soon, marma-point training became
mandatory for surgeons, who would take great pains to work around specific points
lest they risk a patient's life. Today marma-point massage is still a respected
component of Ayurvedic healing.

Marma Massage Today

In summary, simulating or massaging the marma points gives benefits to the area of
their locations and improves the function of the connecting organs. The marma
massage itself is approximately 60 to 90 minutes of duration followed by steam bath
or warm shower. The above is only a brief outline to marma massages. Ideally,
marma massages should be first consulted with a qualified ayurvedic physician and
performed by experienced therapists. The marma massage can be used as a part of
a rejuvenation therapy or it could be used as preventative measure from unwanted
conditions. Either way, marma massage is a really useful way to help improve or
maintain an individual's health balance