With 15+ years of practice and teaching, I share insights on capoeira’s profound philosophy for life. Explore articles and essays, uncovering the art’s cultural richness, and discover how its rhythm extends beyond the roda, offering valuable lessons for navigating life’s twists and turns.
Capoeira, a Brazilian martial art, is a dance-like, acrobatic form incorporating kicks, spins, and fluid movements. It intertwines self-expression, music, and camaraderie.
Malandragem is a Portuguese term for a lifestyle of idleness, fast living, street smarts, cunning, and resourcefulness – traditionally celebrated in samba lyrics, and deeply rooted in Brazilian culture and history. It reflects a way of navigating life with a certain cleverness and adaptability, often in the face of adversity.
Harsh language ahead. Beware!
I have always been sort of a geek. And even before going to my first capoeira class, I read the whole Wikipedia on the subject and came overprepared. I couldn’t do any movement, but I already knew about the traditions, lineages, styles in capoeira. Now I don’t recommend doing it extensively or having any high expectations before doing anything. Do your research, but “empty your cup” for new experiences.
I see there are two ways to understand identities. One level is where you associate your self with a work, school, group, or lineage. Another level where you associate yourself with habits you do day-to-day.
In many ways, a capoeira community is a disguised leadership academy. You can play capoeira by yourself, but to manifest capoeira in its full power and full colors, you need a group of people. You need people to play instruments, to sing songs and clap hands, you need people to play in the circle.
Integrity is like a crossroad with three roads: Your Thoughts, Your Words, Your Actions. In the place where your thoughts, words, and actions intersect, you have integrity.
Everything around us is a result of integrity. Buildings, roads, bridges, anything created is a result of the intersection of someone’s thoughts, words, and actions.
There are many articles on the web comparing words “reactivity” and “responsibility”. But let’s view it in a capoeira context. As you know, the roda of capoeira is a great analogy for life.
character (noun) from Ancient Greek χαράσσω (kharássō, “I engrave”).
In life, every situation, every trouble, every reaction is an opportunity to make ourselves better.
In capoeira, every game, every class, every roda is an opportunity to refine our character. Refinement comes from the word fine, which means good or pleasant.
After touching on some ideas from capoeira in the recent articles, let’s zoom out and try to view capoeira as a philosophy, and check if it’s applicable for daily life. Even if you are not a capoeira practitioner, try to scan this essay quickly to find out why some people are so hooked on capoeira.
Very important disclaimer. I’m not a capoeira master, and still consider myself a student. I’m not a psychologist, nor a coach, or a philosopher with a diploma. But I’ve been learning capoeira for nearly half of my life, and here is what she1 taught me.
This is another great concept I learned from my capoeira master, and he gives credit for it to Mestre Ombrinho, the first non-Brazilian master in the history of capoeira.
If you are capoeirista and have already heard the story about “Three pillars”, you probably don’t know there are two more. And if you don’t practice capoeira at all, stay put, try to use your imagination and switch “capoeira” to your work, study, or whatever you do.
Another powerful concept from my capoeira experience is “Learning – Practicing – Training” cycle, which is useful for day-to-day life too. This is something that my students for sure heard about, but the importance of this is worth another repetition.