The physical training, a Kathakali student has to undergo is very strenuous. In the cooler months of the monsoon season he has a daily session of eye exercises and gymnastics from 3.30 a.m. to 7.30 a.m. which ends up with an oil massage. This is a special feature of the training in which the teacher, holding to a bar, massages the student with his feet and toes, working gingelly oil into every joint and muscle. The process is painful, but it does create the required fitness and flexibility of body that is demanded by the incredibly exacting tradition of the Kathakali stage.

The early morning exercises are followed by the main classes in which the stories of the plays are rehearsed. These go on from 8.30 till mid-day. After a rest in the afternoon, there is two hours of work in the evening, including lessons in the art of make-up. After the monsoon the schedule is less strenuous.