Varmam Therapy

Kill or heal with a single touch!

Varmam Therapy to Remove Blockages

Varmam are vital points in the body that act as energy transformers or batteries. They form centers for boosting the vital prana flow through the intricate nadi system of the body. Nature by its design has protected these vital centers by placing them deep inside the body or by covering them with tissues inaccessible to normal attempts of breach. Their presence, location and action are totally unknown to modern medicine. Today scientific evidence is growing on the presence of sub microscopic energy channels in the body, nadi’s, as described by the Siddhars, yet science is too young to comprehend the intricate nadi system that governs the non-physical system of energy flow, the foundation of vital pranic forces. The Siddhars long ago had discovered the presence of 72,000 nadis in the body and have described in detail the action and location of each of them. They have also described the location of 108 varmam or vital points that could heal or harm the human body when properly manipulated, through touch, pressure or striking, by an expert.

Varmam therapy is a holistic therapy on its own and tackles the body, mind and spirit. A varmam expert understands the underlying links between the body, prana and the mind. Varmams have been classified based on the type of pressure needed to injure (a) Paduvarmam (varmam due to injury), (b) Thodu varmam (by touch); Thattu varmam (by blows), Thaduvu varmam (by massage); Nakku varmam (by licking); and Nokku (by staring). The widely used and recognized ones are the 12 Paduvarmam’s and 96 Thoduvarmam’s as you would guess, there is less consistency with the other categories simply because of the way of application or the deeper knowledge needed to apply them. In these categories the Nokku varmam is the most awe generating and is rarely seen practiced, as those masters who were able to do this are almost extinct.

This Siddha massage or thadavu murai has been known for the application of varma points to achieve cures from disease. Varma or pranic points in the body are centers that control, regulate and maintain pranic flow and thus vital force distribution all over the body. In other words these varma points are pranic batteries that act as intermittent boosters to enable effective conduction of vital forces throughout the body. Any impact to these varma points due to accident or in combat will disrupt the flow of vital force. Depending on the location and activities controlled, the severity of the outcome of an impact will be anywhere between lethal to chronic damaging effects arising after several years.

Siddha massage was born by the marriage of martial arts to Siddha Medicine. The art of varma kalai has been war tested and proven even before the advent of modern medicine. This system of curative massage is taught to trained Siddha therapists in the EAT Certification Program. This will enable the Siddha therapists to apply different thadavu murai to cleanse and purify the nadi’s and physical body of the client.

Therapeutic Varmam; No miracle but a Science

Massage as a healing science has witnessed great popularity and increasing acceptance all over the world during the past decade. The popularity of massage therapies as an effective ant-stress programme is one of the major factors leading to its commercialization. Recently therapeutic massage started becoming very popular, notably Ayurvedic massage which is being offered in almost all major spas in the world. Is massage limited to this simple act of restoring blood circulation, muscle relaxation, lymphatic drainage and rarely to some vital point stimulation? The answer is no. Very few people know that the massage practice followed by Ayurveda originated from the Siddha system. In the Siddha system this area of medicine is an elaborate and perfected science called Varma Kalai or the art of Vital points, where massage forms just one area of treatment. The depth of this varma science in Siddha is evident from the elaborate and extensive texts of Anatomy, Physiology, Diagnostic and treatment methodologies written on palm leaf manuscripts.

One of SASI’s varma adviser is a traditional Siddha practitioner and a martial arts master who has visited the Shaolin temple in China for workshops, says that the most of the techniques and treatments in oriental medicine looks like being descended from some rare Varma Kalai texts. Viz. The intricate details of the ‘Secret Chambers of the Nerves’ and the applied description on the intricate nadi system in the human body, the secrets of the “bow and Arrow’ system. We also know that Sri. Bogar had taken Siddha medicine to China and had spread the knowledge there. Many today believe that Siddha belongs to South-India, but we at SASI believe that Siddha belongs to the universe, and that this knowledge be available to all. Our efforts in gathering and spreading as much as possible authentic information on Varma Kalai is in line with the intent of the great Siddhars, as evident by Sri.Bogars and many other Siddhars efforts to disseminate this knowledge far from its land of origin.

As described in a previous news letter, Varmam Science is based on the fact that there are numerous vital points (Varmams) in the human body that are interconnected by channels in a definite way. The life force energy or prana flows through these channels and gets boosted at the said vital points or varmams. Any imbalance to this flow can cause diseases. This flow has many levels of governing capacities on various vital activities of human body and manipulating this flow can be used to destroy or cure the body. The act of restoring or damaging the vital flow can be achieved by varying pressures of pressure directly on to the varmams. In general massage these points and channels are stimulated to certain degrees, in a defined pattern to achieve a smooth flow. The process may seem quite simple, but very few people actually teach the real locations, the technique of approach and the degrees of manipulation of these points. Quite simply a wrong, method of stimulation or the direction of massage or even the amount of pressure applied can not only be useless but may cause serious blockages leading to manifestation of diseases in the long run.

Research at SASI has shown that impacts on varmam, depending on the seriousness of impact and the type of impact, causes a shift in the energy structure of the person involved. This abnormal shift many times is not immediately evident on the physiology of the affected person but goes on exerting a distorted energy influence on the pranic supply thereby depleting the area involved of much valuable prana. This slowly degrades the system/ organ or the location concerned and several years lead to debilitating diseases. Martial arts or very traumatic accident based varmam impacts shows immediate effects depending on the lethal nature of the varmam.

More and more scientific facts are pouring out from different corners of the world supporting alternate healing, presence of energy, plenum and most interestingly on existence of nadi’s. Recently in a conference a researcher presented electron micrograph and photographs of a dissected human body showing very thin filament coursing the body and these filaments were referred to be the same as nadi’s as explained in ancient texts, because they contained prana, proven using many bio-field devices. Modern medicine may not accept it at all, but we have proof which none can deny. Many modern researchers fail to understand that their science too developed the same way this ancient science is now resurfacing. Only difference is that alternate medicine has too many subtle factors involved than what we call main stream science has.

Varmam Treatment: A Direct Experience

Today I share a very remarkable experience of mine working with the Sri. Vijyan Gurukkal, the varmam consultant for SASI. Vijayan gurukkal is a traditional Siddha Physician, a Kalaripayattu Guru, who does Varmam treatments in his clinic attached to his humble house. Yesterday I walked into the treatment center, as usual, to listen to various treatises in varma kannadi, the ancient scripture on Varmam. But today he beckoned me to follow him into his therapy centre and asked me to evaluate a boy sitting on a stool. As the Asan (the name ubiquitously used for masters of any Siddha arts) very soft-spoken, quick to laugh smiled at my puzzled look, he gestured me to go on and check the nadi (pulse) for varma damages.

The history of the kid, now 12 years old, came down like a shocking story, soaked in tears of his father, of medical negligence and years of wasted efforts in treatments spanning from Allopathy, Ayurveda, Homeopathy and Unani. He got a severe spinal injury when a spinal tap was attempted in a hospital and the then already walking 3 year old started losing his function of his legs which soon became a wobbling piece of bones and flesh. Soon both his arms lost their function and some parts of his face too. His arms and legs started wasting and were more or less useless. He was brought to the asan a month ago and his arms and legs are now gaining strength and is seeing better functions never experienced in the past 7 years of treatment. The boy’s readiness to take even the extremes of pain to undergo the treatment shows his return of hope and trust in this age old tradition that’s slowly transforming his life.

As with many damages to varmam locations, initially the symptoms are very simple and straightforward, are often treated under short sight by the modern medicine, but complication starts coming after 3 or 4 years as vata diseases or some degeneration’s. My past eight years of modern medicine research, and the need of thousands of diagnostic tests, scans and blood tests used to come to a conclusion in these situations stood useless under the simple wisdom of the Siddha where a simple look at the nadi and few touches here and there diagnosed the problem, at its root level.

The Asan (the Master) started the treatment by massaging the Sushumna, ida and pingala nadi’s and stimulating many varmam points which bought out responses in his dead fingers and toes. He explained to me how he uses his intimate knowledge of the nadi system and anatomy to redirect blood flow to damaged body parts and re-vascularise them and help the body heal itself. I experienced the joy of the kid, where inspite of great pain he endured while his varamam’s where pressed with iron like fingers and his nerve plexuses impacted to bring back life into them, the boy cried out in a pain that he enjoyed and welcomed.

Today the boy had a request he put towards the asan. He can’t talk loud in class. When all boys shout out loud, call each other, his efforts to match them where all but a gush of air and very less vocal. This was where the nail of belief and firsthand experience was driven into me with a single blow. As I stood awe struck, the asan asked the boy to keep calling his father as loudly as possible. He tried with all his might and cried our loud but all that came was a low “father” and lots of air rushing out, suddenly the asan struck behind his ear with his twisted fingers and lo! the place rang loud as the boy called his father loud and clear “FATHER” and his father jumping from the chair, answering “YES”.

Here I leave you with this amazing story I witnessed, experienced and was a part of the treatment, never the more sure of this amazing Siddha art, the ageless wisdom of Varmam!