Listen. Can you hear? Eat. Sleep. Dance. That’s your body speaking. Sometimes we don’t even notice that we’re following the directions. Other times we blatantly ignore them. But rarely do we truly listen to our bodies. In this month’s issue of Crazy English Reader, we’ll be exploring ways to realize the full potential of your body.
　　It seems that women in India are already practicing the art of connecting their bodies with their “selves”. Mehndi Girls is a first hand account of matrimony in Mumbai, and, most specifically, the ritual of mehndi application. An ancient form of body art, mehndi holds a special cultural significance in India, and no wedding is complete without the elaborate and stunning bridal mehndi. Truly, this is the em-body-ment of art.
　　Next, we look at one of the oldest expressions of womanhood—belly dancing. In Moving with the Spirit of Salome we hear from a plethora of women who are already practicing this sensual art. Exercise is a way of increasing both your core body strength and the core of your mind, and the art of belly dance allows women to connect their minds with their bodies in a beautiful way.
　　The body is an amazing machine, but most of us are not aware of just how amazing it is—most of us. There are some who have already found ways to expand the limits of their bodies: the blind. Echoing the Blind takes us on a fascinating journey into the world of echolocation, showing us how to “see” with our ears.
　　However, humans are not the only ones to see this way…
　　Growing outside Our Heads takes a look at the more animalistic side of our minds; we are, after all, animals. Yet we humans tend to live in our heads, focusing so much on “mind over body” that we oftentimes forget how profoundly our bodies can affect our minds.
　　And it’s true—the body’s ability to adapt, change, and amaze is something outstandingly profound. To realize this is something that is so simple, it is often forgotten: Listen. Listen to your body and rejoice in the potential within.
　　
　　听。你能听到吗?吃饭,睡觉,舞动。那是你的身体在说话。有时候,我们甚至没有察觉到我们是在跟随着身体的指示。而其他时候,我们则对此感到理所当然,视而不见。然而,我们很少会真正地“倾听”自己的身体。在这期的CR里,我们将会探讨如何充分地挖掘身体的潜能。
　　印度的女人似乎已经在实践将身体与“自我”之间联系起来的这门艺术。《曼海蒂:用手诉说爱情》记录了在孟买参加当地人婚礼的亲身体验,明确说来,是对“曼海蒂”纹身仪式的体验。作为一种古老的身体艺术形式,“曼海蒂”在印度有着特殊的文化内涵,要是没有了这些精致动人、惊艳绝伦的新娘“曼海蒂”绘图,婚礼就变得不完整了。这真可谓是艺术的“体”现。
　　接下来,我们来看看表现女性气质最古老的方式——肚皮舞。在《肚皮舞之恋》一文中,我们发现很多女性在身体力行实践这门视觉艺术。运动,是一种增强身体核心力量和心智力量的方式,而肚皮舞这门艺术让女士用一种优美的方式把身体与思想联系起来。
　　身体是一台让人惊奇的机器,但是我们大多数人都没有意识到这一点——我们大多数人都如此。有些人已经找到了扩展自己身体极限的方式,那就是盲人。《我仍然与光明同在》一文带领我们一探“回声定位法”这个领域,通过这个精彩的旅程,我们了解到如何用耳朵去“看”世界。
　　然而,人类不是唯一能用这种方式来“看”东西的族群……
　　《身体说了算》一文探究的是我们自己思想较为中“兽性”的一面——我们,说到底,不过是动物罢了。然而,我们人类往往是“活”在自己的头脑里,更关注“头脑”,而非“身体”,这就使得我们时常忘记自己的身体会深深影响我们的思想。
　　这是真的——身体能够适应、改变以及给我们带来惊喜(编者注:此指盲人可以用“回声定位法”来“看”世界),其意义多么深远。要意识到这些看似一点都不难的事情,我们经常会忘记:倾听。去倾听你的身体,并为身体的内在潜能而感到愉悦。