Fire Walking though has its origin and roots in India; it is being used as a tool for religious and spiritual practices by Sufi saints, Yogis and Priests. You will find Fire Walking being practised almost in every state in India for some cause or the other.
The West, however have harnessed the tool of this powerful religious and spiritual ritual and used it to enhance personal transformation. An ordinary man can expect to walk across the bed of hot glowing coals and KNOW that his life will never be the same again.

I have dedicated myself into an in depth study and research on Fire Walking and Personal Excellence in the quest of understanding the anatomy of the human mind and how it can be harnessed to encourage people to live the life they truly deserve.
There are many theories on Fire Walking and each one is remarkably different from all the others.

Water Vapour Theory

One theory I encountered on the subject was based on the “Leidenfrost Effect.” Several physicists suggested that the moisture on the sole of the foot created a vapour barrier that prevented the foot from actually contacting the coals. The analogy was proposed that fire walking is similar to licking your finger and touching a hot iron to test whether or not it is up to a sufficient temperature to press a garment. When the iron is hot enough, it literally vaporizes the moisture on a fingertip, and the finger itself is repelled from the iron by water turning to vapour. This is termed the Leidenfrost Effect, named after the man who first described it.

The Leidenfrost Effect can also be easily observed by putting a few drops of water on a hot griddle… when the metal griddle is hot enough, the water beads up and dances around because the heat is so intense that the bottom of the water drop is vaporized before the drop reaches the heated surface and the rising water vapour pushes up against the underside of the drop, causing it to bounce off the escaping steam before it ever reaches the metal.

A physicist by the name of Jearl Walker was so convinced in the validity of this theory that he actually believed it was impossible to get burned while fire walking. After severely injuring himself on a coal bed, he lost faith in this theory.

Conductivity Theory

Another theory physicists have proposed is the “Conductivity Theory.” The analogy used to illustrate this idea was that of reaching into an oven to remove a hot cake pan. The air inside the oven is the same temperature as the metal cake pan, yet one can reach an unprotected hand into the oven without injury. However, if you were to grab the pan itself, the result would usually be a burn. The reason for this is that the air is a poor conductor of heat, while the metal pan is a better conductor. Physicists theorized that the coals were poor conductors and that was why a firewalker’s foot was not burned in the coal bed, regardless of its temperature.
Typical firewalks that are open to the public involve coal beds ranging between 1,200 and 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit.

Mind OVER Matter

Mind over Matter has been a favourite area of research in the past few years. Looking deeply into the subject of “The Mind Making The Body Sick” and not the virus has been startling.

So when one first walks on Fire, Mind over Matter was the only one theory made sense. You see, the interesting part is that the brain, the mind, in most people is not really aware of the Leidenfrost theory or the theory of Conductivity. The only valid experiential data that the mind has is that fire burns and so the body must react accordingly. If the mind is harnessed intelligently, it can be a powerful tool of transformation and if it is let to acquire beliefs randomly, it can be the worst and most painful master. In the lecture preceding the fire walk extra ordinary data is provided to the participants on “Mind in Matter” that they can do anything that they can set their minds on. Many exercises are assigned in a matter of minutes which the people can perceive as impossible and are able to successfully execute even before the Fire Walk. The analogy here is “If I can do this….I can do anything” and that is exactly what that being gets out and does!! Walks on Fire Unharmed.

You see, ever since as children, we are trained for life, metaphorically. A classic example of this would be – If you can’t get an A grade in your class, you will never be able to do anything…. Because you can’t clean up your room, you will never make it in life. These metaphors stick with us and frame our belief system. The mind cannot distinguish between true data and false data. It’s a very obedient servant that accepts information without much enquiry. And so when a person walks through Fire unharmed, the new belief that he creates for himself is “If I can do this…I can do anything!” that being the purpose of the Fire Walking Movement – to awaken people to their potential, their power !!

Many experiments have been conducted by hypnotists and scientists where you can have physical experiences when nothing physical are impacting you. This is not “mind over matter,” but rather: “mind in matter.” day.

Dr. Andrew Weil, the renowned Harvard-trained physician and medical researcher, has investigated fire walking for many years and says, "There is no way I can be convinced that mental state is not the key variable in fire walking."

After people tell themselves "I can do this and not get burned," and they feel "comfortable" with that certainty, they proceed to walk with "confidence." All these states -- relaxed, comfortable, confident -- indicate a certain chemical condition within the brain and body. Thus, fire walking becomes an exercise in examining the mind/body connection. This is why fire walking is so popular today among athletes, executives and healthcare providers. Anyone seeking to explore the mind/body connection, and ways to apply this information toward enhancing human potential, will find value in fire walking.

New firewalkers are amazed at the discovery that they themselves are such incredible beings. Fire walking reveals that being a mere human is nothing mere. Our minds are the new frontier and fire walking is just the beginning in the process of self-discovery. The implications of “mind in matter” are truly exciting and can offer new hope to people with severe illnesses as well as anyone seeking to overcome limitations imposed by old beliefs: salesmen, students, athletes… the list goes on and on… it may even include you!