Work Hard, Play Capoeira

	Photo: Abada Capoeira

Through the most stressful points of the last few years, when I felt like my cranium couldn't take the pressure or the "to do" lists from hell, lying on a mat and doing breathing exercises just didn't cut it.

I wanted something beyond the traditional feel-good remedies, and I found the perfect solution by chance when I stumbled upon Brazil's martial art, capoeira.

In a wood-floored studio with a handful of other students, I quickly learned that being a capoeirista (one who practices capoeira) means more than being able to walk on your hands or do a spin kick -- though you certainly do learn that.

Deceptive Dance

Capoeira's origin spawns a debate among some, but the most common explanation is that it was derived from African slaves who were brought to Brazil circa 1500. Since slave masters forbade any form of martial art, slaves would practice fighting techniques through what looked like an innocent dance.

After its inception, capoeira spread through the streets of Brazil until it was eradicated in the early 1930s through persecution by government authorities.

When the ban was lifted, however, Mestre Bimba created the first capoeira school in 1932 in Salvador, a city in northeastern Brazil.

The martial art started trickling into America in the 1970s and is known today all over the world.

"They tried to extinguish capoeira, but it was stronger than that because it wasn't a thing but part of ourselves," says Edna Lima, the first female mestre (or mestranda) in the abada capoeira style, a title that takes nearly 20 years of training and testing to attain.

Now Lima travels worldwide conducting capoeira workshops; she just returned from a six-week stint in Israel, France, Belgium and Brazil. She also founded Abada Capoeira in New York City over a decade ago and teaches classes there regularly.

"When growing up ... I wanted to see capoeira done [worldwide] in the same way tai chi is done," she says. "It took 20 years for my dreams to come true."

Full Circle

When you play capoeira, you sign up for more than just martial arts. Over the past three years or so I have found myself at salsa parties and workshops for berimbau (a stringed instrument), and I have done auos (cartwheels) in a city square.

Though I have changed groups over the years, the spirit of the game everywhere remains the same.

The fundamental element of capoeira is the ginga, a movement of switching from leg to leg in a triangular step (and one that has removed the word "cellulite" from my vocabulary).

At the end of each class, there is a roda, or circle, in which students play each other to live music and singing.

When you join a class, expect to sing in Portuguese, clap to the rhythm and even take a turn on a drum or berimbau. Classes in the U.S. are usually taught in a group setting in a gym, studio or even a parking lot. Sneakers and other footwear are optional.