((AP Photo\/Bruna Prado))<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThat changed after she began attending a capoeira class in downtown Rio de Janeiro especially designed for people with the disease.<\/p>\n
\u201cCapoeira gives me freedom to work on my body. What I can do. What I can\u2019t do. So I can have balance and a more comfortable life,\u201d Teles de Freitas said during a recent class.<\/p>\n
Practiced for centuries by Afro-Brazilians, it has since become popular around the world. UNESCO recognized the practice in 2014 as Intangible Cultural Heritage.<\/p>\n
The project started in 2018 with physical therapist Rosimeire Peixoto, 60, who at that point had been attending capoeira classes herself for over a decade.<\/p>\n
After working with many patients with Parkinson\u2019s, she said she became convinced that introducing them to capoeira may help alleviate some of their symptoms.<\/p>\n
Parkinson\u2019s has a range of different symptoms, and along with difficulties in balancing, some common ones include slowness of movement, tremors and stooped posture. Patients can also experience anxiety, depression, sleeping disorders and nausea.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had the idea after reading an article that said alternating both hands when using a cell phone stimulates both hemispheres of the brain,\u201d she said. \u201cAnd as a physiotherapist treating neurological patients, I was lacking exercises that would motivate them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peixoto\u2019s project was dubbed \u201cParkinson na ginga\u201d \u2014 or \u201cParkinson\u2019s in the swing\u201d \u2014 a reference to the first fluid, rhythmic step that capoeira practitioners learn. She now holds classes twice a week in the Progress Foundry, a sprawling cultural center in downtown Rio next to a famed white 18th century aqueduct and surrounded by palm trees.<\/p>\n
Capoeira helps improve balance, coordination and strength, with music loosening up tense bodies, Peixoto says.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is a lot happening in a capoeira circle. They feel the vibration, the energy, they pay attention to the music and to the partner to dodge blows\u201d and to themselves, she said.<\/p>\n
During a recent class, Peixoto walked among the students, placing a gentle hand on a back here and there to help with balance, patiently repeating demonstrations and offering words of encouragement.<\/p>\n
Ant\u00f4nio de Azevedo, who was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease a few years ago, said he could hardly stand before. But since he started practicing capoeira, his stability returned.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the best thing that\u2019s ever happened to me,\u201d he said while he attended a capoeira class with around 10 other people, all with Parkinson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
Peixoto tries to make the classes a fun and social event \u2014 she often suggests a group samba dance at the end of the class, and regularly brings a cake to share.<\/p>\n
Teles de Freitas, the retired teacher, says that she loves the camaraderie among the class.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are there for one another,\u201d she said. \u201cFeeling and conversing with friends gives strength.\u201d<\/p>\n
She remembers how when she got her diagnosis, she left the doctor\u2019s office crying, terrified of the future.<\/p>\n
\u201cToday I\u2019m smiling,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m managing to live. I\u2019m managing to interact with other people. I\u2019m managing to be happy.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more Parkinson\u2019s disease patients are seeing their symptoms alleviated thanks to a well-known martial art. Capoeira is a movement practice that originated within the large enslaved communities in Brazil, where nearly 5 million kidnapped Africans disembarked during the transatlantic slave trade that started in the 16th century. It is considered both a martial art and a dance, combining ritual, exercise, spirituality and music \u2013 and it is helping patients living with the neurodegenerative illness. Nilma Teles de Freitas, an 80-year-old retired teacher in Brazil who was diagnosed with Parkinson\u2019s disease more than a decade ago, says she used to fall over all the time. The capoeira classes are especially designed for people with the disease. ((AP Photo\/Bruna Prado)) That changed after she began attending a capoeira class in downtown Rio de Janeiro especially designed for people with the disease. \u201cCapoeira gives me freedom to work on my body. What I can do. What I can\u2019t do. So I can have balance and a more comfortable life,\u201d T…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3660,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3659"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3659"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3659\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3659"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3659"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3659"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}