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SECTION 2 - PAGE 14 - PLAINDE ALER - WEDNESDAY. AUGUST 15,1984 National news Firpwalkinp epfc a npw trpnH sPace travelers still need to be in shape A 11 V/ YY QfllVlllp Ov vO \\ llv W vl w^llvl By William Harwood Veteran space shuttle astronaut to do it daily but I don t al\ By Bill Cardoso United Press International LOS ANGELES -- In this hot spot of trendiness, the hottest trend of all is firewalking: hot­ footing it across live coals. While the practice may be a time-honored ritual in faraway places, in Southern California it is a magnet to gather the curious, relieve them of a few dollars and possibly teach them how to allay their fears, all in a few hours. * The chief practictioner is Tolly Burkan, a teacher in the human potential movement and former professional magician from the Sierra Nevada hamlet of Twain Harte. Burkan, 36, a low-key, soft- spoken, self-deprecating sort, elaims he has talked about 10,000 people into walking on burning coals. He learned the skill in 1977 from a friend who, he said, learn­ ed it from a Tibetan. \ "I simply got a bunch of logs, imade a pyre, and asked ^her to "teach me," Burkan recalled. Before long, he had a conceptual • format and a copyright. "The experience," Burkan said, "is similar to walking barefoot across hot sand or a hot street. But we're not doing this so you'll have something to do at the next barbecue. We're doing this because it creates healing in peo­ ple." He incorporated firewalking in­ to a $50 workshop designed to teach people how to negate fear and their notions of personal limitation. But Burkan now wants to retire. "I'm exhausting myself," he said in an interview in the backyard of a Santa Monica home during what he called his farewell national tour. By withdrawing, Burkan hopes to find more time to write and lec­ ture and "reach as many people as possible." To accomplish this, he franchis- ed his format to a dozen proteges he trained in a three-week period, in part by taking them sky diving and spelunking in narrow caves. "1 created a movement without even knowing it," he laughed. He explained firewalking in deceptively simple terms: "If you know you aren't going to burn yourself, you won't." In Santa Monica on a recent night, an early Burkan protege, Tony Robbins, 24, led his own s e m i n a r a n d f i r e w a l k i n g demonstration. About 125 men and women rang­ ing in age from teens to late fifties underwent the experience that night, practicing mind over mat­ ter. x A half cord of oak wood burned down to hot coals. The theme from "Chariots of Fire" was played, then Robbins deep-breathed on stage and silently stared into the eyes of his students. He rocked slowly on his heels, exhaled and smiled. Then, he snapped his fingers and promised "a physical demonstration of something that is considered im­ possible." At the patio-side pyre, the out­ door lights dimmed and the hot coals shimmered in the darkness like a lava flow. "Excellent," Robbins said. "As I take my first step," he in­ structed, "my body will do whatever it takes to protect itself." Robbins reminded all to repeat the soothing words "cool moss" as they followed him on the 9-foot walk across the bed of fire. - About 100 people attempted the feat and all succeeded. At the end they wore glazed expression, hav­ ing become in a matter of moments true believers. Michael Kollins, 37, a television producer from Sydney, Australia, called it "the best step I've ever taken." But Bill Alderman, 33, a concert producer from Los Angeles, chose not to try.. "I heard a little voice inside me say, 'Don't do it,'" he explained. By William Harwood UPI Science Writer CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. - The days are long gone since America's astronauts , were re­ quired to be perfect physical specimens to help them withstand the bone-shaking rigors of blastoff. But that doesn't mean they've let themselves go to pot-bellies -- and the crew of the new space shuttle Discovery, scheduled to blast off on its first flight June 25, is no exception. Veteran space shuttle astronaut Henry Hartsfield, Discovery's 51- year-old commander, is a devoted jogger who also does calisthenics at home. "They're always giving me a hard time about my age," he said, referring to his five crewmates. "They're always kidding me about my pacemaker and my white hair. "My exercise is mostly centered around jogging. I Jog three or four times a week and do some calisthenics at home. I don't get a chance to run at the gym. I ought to do it daily but I don't always have the time. We're working 60 hours a week." Mission specialist Steve Hawley, married to astronaut Sal­ ly Ride, said he prefers lifting weights. "It's pretty much left up to the individual," he said. "In my case, it's on the weights. 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