I just returned from a week in the beautiful state of Hawaii. Having spent a week in a wonderful location such as Hawaii gave me time to reflect and appreciate. I appreciated running my toes through the baby-powder-like sand of Lanikai and swimming in cobalt blue waters. I was awestruck by the beauty of the marine life and was privileged to see and interact with them. Even being home for just a few days now, I already miss the taste of shave ice from Wailoa’s, plate lunches from Diamond Head Market & Grill, and awa from the Health Bar.

I have also been reminiscing about all the friends I made in Hawaii. The friends I made at the Honolulu Club that were eager to learn about posture and core connection. The classes I taught there were both inspirational and fun. I am excited for them as they learn the effect of physiological response plus time. Martial arts instructor Egan Inoue and his students opened their dojo (studio) to learn about the flow of energy and its impact during martial arts and grappling. I spoke with a brave family that just lost a loved one and shared with them how such a loss can impact their bodies. Dr. Ishii and the surgical staff of Queen’s Hospital were curious about the influence of posture while spending many hours performing surgery. Mr. & Mrs. Gin opened their home and hearts to me, and then shared their experience of business body language with their employees.

To all that I met, thank you for your wonderful hospitality. I am very grateful for my experiences and hope to return soon to swim in the ocean, eat fresh fish and give you more cool insights into the human body. Mahalo, Michael Luan

In Japan there is an annual event called Hiwatari (Fire walking). It happens at Mount Takao in Hachioji to mark the coming of the spring. It is an event that I wish to attend because it is a reminder of the potential of the human body and spirit.

Each person, old and young, has the same genetic makeup as all humans. They have hands, feet, nerves, bodies and skin just like us. They feel pain, they experience fear and they have the potential to burn. Against existing thought (and instinct), they do not experience injury from walking over the flaming embers.

There is no trick to Hiwatari. It is like any other goal you attempt to achieve: it takes practice, mindset, consistent training and belief. Witnessing an event such as Hiwatari, reminds us: the limits of the human body are unknown and anything you perceive, see, aim to accomplish, wish or dare to do, should be able to be done with the proper focus.

In the world around us, we see things that show us how weak we are. We just look around and see examples of disease, accidents and injuries. We are told we will get weaker as we age. People tell us to “be careful” and “don’t do that.” So we stay in between the lines and follow those thoughts and visions.

My hope is when you see another fellow human do something extraordinary, you know you can do the same or better. You have the same tools and genetics. Plus, you are one step ahead because now you have more insight that the task is doable. Furthermore, there is an infinite source of strength, wisdom and insight in each of us to accomplish anything.

What is your Hiwatari you should focus on in order to remind you of your greatness?

Usually around 6:30PM you find “That Guy” at the gym. “That Guy” was probably a pretty good athlete in high school and college, and now realizes he must do some kind of exercise because he is starting to look more like his father. “That Guy” decides he must hit the gym 5 days a week because he feels this is the only place where he can improve his body. At the gym, he is often found telling stories of his “glory days” and lifting hearty amounts of weights, attempting to turn back the clock. He starts to feel pain, beyond muscle soreness, but continues to power through the exercises. He does not realize pain occurs because his body is not supported properly which leads him to feel old and defeated.

The irony is that he exercises and lifts weights at the gym no differently than how he uses his body at work, home or with his kids. He carries the stress of his day, the body language of fatigue and mental overload into the gym where he fortifies it into his musculature and nervous system with the repetitive action of exercising. And when he leaves the gym, he leaves with the same rounded shoulders, droopy stomach and fatigued walk he had when he left the office.

Are you interested in learning how not to be “That Guy”?

The goal of exercise is to improve the body in various ways. You will get better results if you become more aware, conscious and focused on the task. Here are the steps:

1. Use your imagination: Before, during and after you work out, envision your ideal body shape in your mind. This is what you want, so why not know what to work towards.
2. Connect through each movement: Each weight you lift, each rep you do, each step you take: do it by connecting all your muscle groups to your core abdominals. Do you feel the difference in connecting vs. powering through? Feel each part of your body working in a way to meet your goals.
3. Consciously activate every detail: including posture, balance, coordination and core connection.
4. Think Extra weight: Imagine each rep is twice the amount you are actually lifting and each step you take feels like your there is twice the load on your muscles.

These steps will take practice to incorporate so be patient. If you truly do this, you will feel satisfied with your workouts because you are fully involved in changing your body. You will also limit physical stress that can put the body at risk for injury.

Experiment with this for 12 weeks. Be consistent and see what happens to your body. If you are not totally involved, it will not work because these steps ask for you to be fully present. Just imagine if someone wanted to participate more in your life. How different would things be? Would work get done faster? Would things be more in order? How long until that participation trickles into other aspects of your life? The ultimate goal is to go from being “that Guy” to “The Guy.”

Take a look at these two examples of two different bodies and study them for a moment.

When I work with my clients, I help them to forecast their life in 1,5,10 to 20 years from now. One question I always ask is “What do you think your body will look like in a year if nothing changes?” It’s an experimental process where various traits such as posture, anatomy, facial expressions and walking are projected into the future. My clients also create goals as to how they want their body to look and behave. Another question I ask is “When did this certain body behavior start?” These questions bring the same conclusion: the body behavior started at a certain point and it is not going to get better without a conscious effort towards improvement.

A few years ago, I hurt my neck and the pain was agonizing. A few months later, I realized that I had lost my abs that I had worked so hard in the previous months to define. I later realized the my neck was working overtime doing the work of my abs. I had to make a conscious shift for my body to change shape. So with the help of a well qualified trainer, I started to decrease my neck pain and strengthen my abs. So this proves the point that nothing happens to us by accident. If I had not sought help to get to the root of my neck pain, I will still have those old abs, ice cream love handles and miserable neck pain.

Further, it explains why nothing will change without a conscious effort. If this man in the red continued to stand as he does, what will he look like in 10 years? Do you think back pain and/or diabetes might be a factor by then? My prediction, in 10 years, the RedMan’s stomach will only get bigger without some conscious intervention. The man in the tan, his butt will continue to disappear unless he understands how to make changes.

Take a look at the photos and make your projection. What do you think will happen to these two men in 10 to 20 years?

I saw this picture on Seth Godin’s blog and had to comment.

Microsoft Windows launched its highly expected “Vista” operating system. Microsoft and all affiliates should have been excited about the buzz Vista was to create in the industry. In fact their slogan was “the ‘Wow’ starts now”.

Based on the body language, it looks like Microsoft came up with a “The ‘Wow’ ends now”. Seated in this picture from left to right is head of Dell, Microsoft, Toshiba Advanced Micro Devices and HP. Not one of them looks even remotely excited by the new product they are introducing to the public and into their respective products. In fact, the only body language that Microsoft’s Vista activated is just “soft” and not in a Micro amount. None of these executives sustain up-right posture or a smile throughout the launch presentation. Scowls are usually not reserved for parties and these guys seem to have excess of it.

Instead of creating a “wow”, this photo evoked images of uptight, uncomfortable, unease and constipation. It looks more like the line for a colonic waiting room rather than a team of innovators launching a new product. They fail to be as open and presentable as the power-point presentation. Enthusiasm is generated through body language, facial expression, presence of heart and connection to core. Where is it with those involved with Microsoft’s Vista?

This photo leaves me with three questions:
1. Who is the leader in this photo? Based on body language, there isn’t one. Heaven forbid there was a moderator that was standing; because it was accidentally him or her.
2. Are these guys working together on the same team and was this even important? Half of them did not think so. Three of the executives are wearing ties and three are not. The only uniform is their odd body language.
3. Speaking of body language, who taught these guys to sit and cover their masculinity like this? The impact of their body language on Vista is obvious. But do you think they realize the impact it has on their health and eventually the health of Microsoft?

This photo looks more like bad news being broken to the public than a party getting started. In the final analysis, Microsoft’s “Pop” was the sound we heard before their supporters deflated into an intestinally compressive posture.

There is a saying, intent is 2/3 the law. I have never been totally sure what that has meant, but it is a great segue into what I want to talk about. In communication, body language is 55% of communication. This is to say body language is a large component of communication, personal message and leadership.

Body language is how we communicate to people and the environment. It is our message about ourselves and the rule of conduct with us. It is also the means of emoting personal messages and the statements about ourselves. For example, “I am serious,” “I am the leader,” “I am happy” or “I am healthy.” Likewise, it also works the opposite way.

Bill Gates is an icon of wealth, innovation, and more recently, education in developing countries. He led Microsoft to become a power house in the computer industry and has a net worth of $53 billion. By looking at this picture of him, I have to ask the question, what happened?

Google “Bill Gates” and you will find hundreds of photos of Bill in various points of his life and career. Most of the time he looks youthful and rebellious, but in this photo he is just sporting a serious case of anterior head carriage. He looks more like Touché Turtle than a Barron of Industry.

Anterior carriage is a sign of sympathetic overload and exhaustion. This once youthful innovator is looking tired. What do you think he will look like in a year from now if nothing changes? How often do you find yourself in the same tired posture/body language and what do you think it will look like in a year to five years from now.

If you want to make a different impression with your body language, make sure your heart leads you through life and not your head. Having the heart raised and the head squarely over the body is the strongest sign of leadership. But there seems to be an exception. If you own billions, you can have all the anterior head carriage you want. Until then, keep your heart up, head over you body and eyes on the horizon. If you happen to be a billionaire, “Touché and away!”

The shoulder that has pain is not necessarily the culprit. It is usually the opposite shoulder. Say your right shoulder hurts. You feel the pain because your right shoulder is doing everything correctly plus the work of the side that doesn’t hurt (left). Essentially, you’re feeding the same twin twice.

Hip mechanics influence neck and spinal motion. So in order to open up the neck and back (i.e. relieve pain), you need to start by getting motion and flexibility back into the hips. It just seems so unrelated to work on these areas, but the whole mechanics of the human body are based on the hips and the spine.

If you’re going to hold yourself to perfection, make sure you know what it looks like. In other words, if you wish to set standards in your life, make sure you define them.

For example, a client of mine was beating herself up because she felt she was not eating according to a “perfect diet”. When I asked her what a good diet was, she did not know how to answer me. She knew what a bad diet was, but never defined what a “good” diet was.

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