It was a fundraising thing for charity at University, and I fancied the religious girl organizing it. She was intense. I have never had a great deal of self-confidence nor, historically, much ability to resist those with missionary zeal. But they never went to the pub. And as a result, I tended to go where they went. And let’s face it, walking over burning coals sounds cool. I wish there were a loftier explanation for why I did it. They got about 30 of us to raise a hundred pounds each and locked us all in a room for two hours. Then they psyched us up.
Here’s what I learned:
1. It is physically impossible to walk 25 yards over hot coals. There is not a scientific explanation for why you can do it. The science says your feet should melt. You can’t avoid the science by walking faster. Or by using Vaseline. Or whatever. Your feet should burn. Some people’s feet do burn. At least, that’s what they told me. There are people who try to explain why it works, and the physics work. But they were like, “no.” “This is not a good idea. And if you think it’s safe, then don’t come back for our class where you do the same thing over broken glass.”
2. Even if the science DOES make it safe, your only option to do it without burning is to BELIEVE you can do it, EVEN IF IT IS IMPOSSIBLE. They basically told me, “we don’t know why it works, either.” Then they told us to visualize a moment from our lives that made us feel amazing. I recalled the one time in High School when our basketball coach, Mr. Crouch, had dropped me from the team before a game. Bear in mind that until I was about 26 I idolized Dennis Rodman because he was weird and played with Michael Jordan on the winning Chicago Bulls team. As a weird white guy from Southeast London under six feet I like to think the strength of my self-belief or self-delusion was that I genuinely expected, at some point, to begin a career in the National Basketball Association in America. Because of Dennis Rodman. Anyway. At practice that lunchtime with the game looming that evening, I drained a no-look three-pointer right in Mr. Crouch’s face, looked over at him, and enjoyed watching him shake his head in disbelief. Proving a doubter wrong in a field in which I didn’t naturally excel but had to work for. That was the thrill.
3. I “projected” that positive image on an enormous screen in my head. I made the screen a hundred times bigger. I saturated the colors of the image. Then I associated a physical gesture with the feeling attached to that moment. And a phrase. In my case it was a fist pump and the words “COME ON.”
4. This was, like, an hour before they lit the hot coals. They just had us in this kettle environment, working on that. By the time we were lined up, ready to do it, I had gone from my normal level of nutty intense to, well. Let’s just say my best friends were there watching and I don’t remember much of what went on. Like, they were freaked out, and then some. Although they did sorta know me. And so, not like, totally surprised.
5. Then we did it. I did the gesture and the phrase and visualized the three-pointer. Then stepped on. And the first thing I felt was the cool grass beneath my feet at the end. And then, I suddenly felt very tired indeed. Like, exhausted. Get me to a bed. I’m done.
The power of the mind is absolutely incredible, basically. And we can only begin to grasp its power in our day-to-day life. The great thing about yoga is that it allows us to explore it, and get more in touch with that deeper strength. But also, it’s slightly less nutty and intense than walking over hot coals. And less scary to your friends. And you can marry a nice woman who doesn’t mind going to the pub occasionally. At least not in theory. I mean, we never go to the pub now because neither of us drinks. But that’s a separate choice to do with the benefits of moderation. And anyway. My point is made. Clearly.
Right?
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