Chavutti Thirumal (Massage with Foot)
The Kerala foot-pressure massage, given from a rope. Long strokes, full body weight, and the balance it takes to control them.
- Runs for
- 5 days, 25 hours
- Each day
- 10:00 am – 5:00 pm
- Taught by
- Gagori Mitra
- Where
- Agonda Beach, Goa, India
Not scheduled this season. The course still runs — tell us you are interested and we will let you know when the next dates are set.
- Taught inEnglish, every course
- Teaching since2005, on Agonda Beach
- Group sizeSmall enough to correct every table
What your own body learns
Balanced on a rope with your weight coming down through one foot, you cannot be somewhere else. There is no version of this where you are half thinking about the evening.
Most people meet their own stiffness in the first two days — not the client's.
That turns out to be the useful part. You leave knowing your own body from the inside, which is the only way anyone ever learns to read someone else's.
When it runs
This one is not on the schedule this season. Dates are set by the school — tell us you are interested and we will let you know when it next runs.
Courses run October to April. Places are limited because every afternoon is hands-on practice in pairs.
The rope massage strokes, one by one
History and origins
Where Chavutti Thirumal comes from, and who it was built for.
Posture and breathing
Why good posture matters more here than in any other massage, and how the practitioner should be breathing while giving it.
The body’s energy system
What you are actually working with, before you start working on it.
Using the feet
How the foot is used, and how foot movement, body posture and pressure work together rather than separately.
The contours of the foot are close to those of the body, which is exactly why this works.
The strokes, then the practice
The full sequence of Chavutti Thirumal, and then hands-on — or rather feet-on — practice of it.
Contraindications
The occasions when this massage is not the right thing to give.
What students say about Chavutti Thirumal — Rope Massage
Filmed at the school and published on its own channel. Nothing here was written for the website.
Chavutti massage course — a review by Tori
What it looks like
What you are actually learning
How to use your own body weight to take stiffness and soreness out of a muscle and give a body back some suppleness, working with the alignment of bone and muscle.
You will balance on a rope above you, and deliver long, deep, deliberate strokes onto specific pressure points.
Who teaches it
Gagori Mitra supervises the course. She trained under a Kalari master with more than 65 years of practice behind him.
Alongside the technique you get an understanding of what a body goes through, internally and externally, at different stages of a life — which is what turns a sequence of strokes into a treatment.
Questions people send us
What is Chavutti Thirumal?
A traditional Kerala massage given with the feet, from a rope overhead. It began with soldiers in combat, dancers, and people doing hard physical work.
Now it is recommended much more widely — and especially for people who get very little physical activity in a day.
Why the feet rather than the hands?
The foot gives an even and considerably deeper pressure than a hand can, and it can hold a long stroke down the length of a body without breaking.
How physically demanding is it to learn?
Demanding. It asks for real balance and genuine physical effort, because you are supporting yourself on a rope and controlling your own body weight.
Come prepared for that. It is the one course where fitness makes a visible difference to how much you get out of the week.
Does it count towards continuing education?
Yes — it adds 25 hours to your CEP.
How booking works, and what you are agreeing to
- Step 1
Complete the online application form (you will hear from us within 48 hours). If you do not receive a reply within the above mentioned period please get in touch.
- Step 2
If you are accepted for the course, you will be required to pay a deposit to confirm your booking (various payment options are available). Your place on the course will be confirmed only upon receipt of the deposit amount.
- Step 3
Your balance is due on arrival at the Aithein Healing School.
- Early bird discount
- An early bird discount is offered if you book your seat atleast 1 month in advance.
- Accommodation
- We will provide your requested accommodation on first come first serve basis. Please book early to avoid disappointment.
- Welcome meetings
- Welcome meetings are generally held between 4 – 5 pm on the day before the course start date. Please read the enrolment instructions carefully. These will be sent to you after your place has been booked on your chosen course.
- Check in
- One day before your chosen course start date.
- Check out
- Before 11.00 am on the day after your chosen course end date.
- Deposit
- The initial deposit is strictly non refundable and non transferable in any case.
- Language
- All the courses are in English.
- Model
- You need not get anybody with you as model. Your trainer or students in your batch becomes your model, and students practice on each other.
Code of ethics
You are expected to adhere to the guidelines set out below:-
- Zero tolerance of sexual harassment, innuendo, language and any form of discrimination on the grounds of sexuality.
- Zero tolerance of racist attitudes and language.
By Submitting the Application Form, I hereby agree to the following:
- I understand that the initial deposit amount for the course is non-refundable in any circumstances.
- I understand, if I decide to cancel, re-schedule or not take part in the courses or retreats I have signed up for, the initial deposit amount will not be refunded.
- The deposit amount is non-refundable even if it is due to travel restrictions, lockdown, or any similar or non-similar reasons due to a world-wide pandemic or war or anything else of the similar nature, any act of God, or any other unforeseen circumstances.
- Incase, due to personal reasons I want to choose another date, I understand that the deposit amount stays forfeited. If I meet with an accident, become pregnant (women only), and I am unable to join the course; I will need to provide a valid doctors certificate stating the reason. I am fully aware that I will have to inform Aithein Healing School via an email atleast 30 days before the start of the event. Failing to inform the school atleast 30 days before, will result in forfeiting the initial deposit. In such a case, the decision of transferring the course to another date lies with Aithein Healing School.
- I understand that once I have physically joined the course or the event I have signed up for, I shall become obligated and responsible to pay Aithein Healing School the complete fees of the course or event. This fees becomes non-refundable, non-cancellable, and non-transferable.
- I understand that if I fall sick due to Covid or any pandemic or if the course has to be stopped due to such restrictions or similar reasons, the school may consider transferring my pro-rata balance fees to any future course of my choice. The decision lies with Aithein Healing School.
- I understand and agree that once I have joined the course physically, Aithein Healing school is not liable to refund me the course fee if I choose to drop out of the course due to my personal issues or circumstances.
- I understand that I will have to pay the balance course fees (minus the initial advance deposit) upon arrival at Aithein Healing School, by cash or via transfer atleast 15 days before the course begins.
- Aithein Healing school reserves the right to end my participation or continuation in the course if it finds my presence disturbing to the group process.
- I also understand that if Aithein Healing School has to cancel the course for any situation beyond its control such as covid related restrictions or any other reason prior to the beginning of the course, then I am entitled for a full refund, except the initial advance deposit. In such a case, Aithein Healing School will not be liable to cover any other losses I might incur such as travel, insurance, etc. due to any such cancellations.
Any and all disputes will be subject to the jurisdiction of Canacona, Goa, India.
What the fee covers
Included
- The course manual
- Oils used throughout the course
- Massage tables and sheets
- Your certificate on completion
Arrange separately
- Flights and travel insurance
- Airport transfer
- Accommodation and food
We help every student find a room within walking distance of the school — tell us your dates and budget when you enquire.
Other courses you might be looking at
4-Week Ayurveda Massage Course
Four weeks of Kerala-tradition Ayurveda — theory, diet, lifestyle and fourteen hands-on therapies you practise on each other every afternoon.Siddha Marma Points Course
The vital points of the body — where they are, what they govern, and how to work them without doing harm.Ayurvedic Diet, Nutrition & Cooking
Five days in the kitchen — the six tastes, what suits which constitution, and food you can actually cook when you get home.
Come and see what happens
Tell us roughly when you could travel and we will write back within two working days. If we think a different course suits you better, we will say so — we would rather you came to the right one.