The Black Martial Art With The Power To Lift Spirits

The match was heating up. Onlookers clapped traditional rhythms as the two opponents bobbed, weaved, and exchanged overhead kicks. It was a beautiful blend of martial arts and spirituality. 

Capoeira began in Brazil during enslavement, offering moments of freedom from physical and mental bondage. Afro-Brazilians taught it to one another for self-defense and spiritual and emotional empowerment. 

It's a full-body practice that connects mind, body, and spirit, and its fundamental principles prove this. 

The Ginga is a signature capoeira move that utilizes a rocking movement to keep the participants in constant motion and on their toes. Ginga reminds us to keep going no matter what obstacles we face. 

Mestres are lead capoeiristas who guide novices through training. They are elders whose experience and wisdom are highly respected and admired. Mestres are reminders that respect for our elders has always been a central value among our people. 

Communality is a crucial pillar, because "it's fundamental in capoeira that you don't keep everything you learn to yourself." Capoeira is inherently communal, often using call-and-response music, so it can't be done alone–a reminder that we're at our most powerful when we move together.

We can look to the past for spiritual empowerment in the present. Ancestors laid the foundation; we can lean on their teachings and traditions to carry us through. Axé