A fakir is a religious mystic found in India, on Earth.
Jack, a youth from Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, preparing for college spent a lot of time at the library learning about far away places, including India. While discussing meditation with T'Mir, Jack explained to her that from his readings, he learned of the fakirs.
He noted that they supposedly could almost stop their hearts by the use of willpower. To which T'Mir responded, "You'd be surprised what a disciplined mind can accomplish." (ENT: "Carbon Creek")