Movement Miracles
As one foot steps in front of the other. As my balance shifts from side to side. I am drawn into the present moment. A moving meditation.
But I am not alone. Through twists and turns, looking for openings and opportunities, I sometimes intricately, sometimes boldly step inside the guard of my opponent. To find ways to bring the game into my hand.
As I make my move, so does my partner. Without warning he is now the hunter and I am being hunted. In a blink of an eye, the tables have turned.
All is not lost.
I switch my feet, my arms creating a distraction of where my body will go next. Breathing heavier with each explosion of movement and change of direction. I’m back in the game.
A hand is offered, a hug follows swiftly behind. Neither concerned who had won or lost. The joy is in the playing. In the practice. In the challenge. Not being concerned with what came before or what could become after. That we are here and now.
Capoeira. A Brazilian martial art which has had many tales of its birth told. Many assumptions of what it is or what it isn’t. It’s too vast to cage and label. It’s personal to each practitioner and can be as holistic or as athletic and you choose. It embraces all abilities, all ages and is without gender or race. It is in it’s purest form it is a celebration of movement and possibilities, a philosophy which is applied to positive living and wellness. It’s energy is not encased within a class, but radiates from all that practice it.
Capoeira saved me at the beginning. After a failed relationship she called me to her service. Grateful that I was listening, I answered the calling.
Afraid of anything which wasn’t similar to me, Capoeira took me on a global journey of discovery in culture and colour. She held my hand, reassured me and led me on a new path presenting opportunities and a different set of life lessons.
She gave me a husband, two beautiful children, a second language and a channel for me to express myself through movement, music and art.
When we founded our organisation BrazilArte, we were homeless and I was jobless. With a young child to support we had nothing to lose and everything to gain.
What was the worst that could happen?
Through her movements she saved me. She pulled me through when I broke. She shone a light when it was dark, she shared her wisdom when I was ready to listen. She made miracles.
As we pass the torch of the wisdom to the community who pass through our door (the physical and virtual), we understand that it doesn’t matter how you move, but that you move. That you move in a way which ignites the connection between your physical and spiritual state. That you don’t just move for movements sake, but that you seek a movement which speaks to your soul, which feeds you at a cellular level.
Martial arts, yoga, qi-gong, walking, running, swimming. An endless list. It doesn’t matter which one you choose. It does matter that it feels comfortable, that you feel whole, that you feel good. Not to say that it will be easy and you won’t feel discomfort. You should.
That’s where the magic happens.
It should excite you. It should lift you up. Even on those days when you don’t want to but are grateful when you do.
Movement miracles are available to us all. But only if you move, and move often.
Emma Gibbs De Oliveira
www.brazilarte.org / @brazilarte
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