OLD AGE
A.A. Decānio Filho
Translation by Shayna McHugh
Under this title will be developed themes
pertinent to old age, such as the anatomic modifications, hormonal and circulatory variations, etc. resulting from the passage
of time.
Remembering
always that to age is a divine blessing!
To age
it is necessary to be alive.
To be
alive is great for one’s health, Mestre Pastinha would say.
The only
requirement to play capoeira (regional, naturally…) is to be alive, Mestre Bimba used to say.
Happy
is he who does not die before old age.
Aging
is the path of wisdom.
The maturing
of the spirit and the clarity of the mind accompany the aging of the healthy body.
The practice of capoeira,
-
by the multiplicity of its movements,
-
by its ease of adjustment to the personal conditions of each practitioner,
-
by the mental modifications that it brings about,
-
by the integration among the various components of the Being,
-
by being a fundamentally playful and therefore pleasurable activity,
-
by developing a transitional state of consciousness capable of escaping from mental blocks and
the physical limits of the practitioner,
-
by lending itself to innumerous levels of the workload;
can be used as method of maintenance
of physical fitness, of enablement or recuperation of physical fitness, correction of wear and tear from age or of complications
resulting from sicknesses resulting from aging.
It is fitting however to emphasize that
its practice depends on the prior evaluation of the organic and functional conditions of the candidate, and appropriate medical
accompaniment to impede possible complications from the overexertion of effort.