In a Kalari class, one can often hear the gurukkal say that one must embody the spirit of an animal. It is so beautiful to watch the students who have been practicing for a few years to see this in action. The way they stay and move in a pose is exactly like an animal, ready to charge. There are a lot of poses in Kalari based on animals. Sort of similar to yoga in that way, but it is done with more vigor and precision is given a lot of importance. After all, one is getting trained to fight, not meditate. One of the poses is based on the form of a lion called Simha vadivu.
I happened to come across this clip on Kalari, where Gitanjali Kolanad takes the advice too seriously. The Kalari move is being demonstrated with a real lion. I am not really sure if Leo, the lion is needed to get this done. See for yourself.
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