A fakir was a religious mystic found in the Earth country of India
Jack, a youth from Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, when 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")