by Emily Sampson

How we walk through life matters. The variable outcomes of a situation can be heavily

influenced by how we carry ourselves through it. For example, if you are wait staff in a restaurant at peak dinner rush on a Saturday, it will be beneficial to address the hectic time withan attitude of calm, collected confidence. Approaching dinner rush with an attitude of

overwhelm or panic will likely affect everyone around. The customers you are waiting on, your

coworkers and of course, yourself. 

Curious as it seems, walking on broken glass is a powerful way to enhance our skills of situational awareness, attention to detail and mind over matter.

Moreso, glass-walking is an opportunity for deeply attuning to the body and furthering a

relationship with intuition and self-trust. 

Glass walking can also be the catalyst to profound

personal healing. Under controlled circumstances with the guidance a certified professional

facilitator, the benefits of walking on glass far outweigh the risks.

The first time I attended a glass walk was as the Firewalking Center’s Instructor Training

in 2023. I had already participated in several firewalks at this point, and was seasoned in how to

cross the coals safely. Fire walking asks you to walk with a swift stride and a built up, almost

transcendent energy, but the glass... The glass asks the total opposite. Broken glass asks you to

move slowly, intentionally. Broken glass asks you to summon 110% presence. Every movement

requires an acute awareness of every minor sensation happening beneath your feet before

releasing your body weight or taking the next step.

Did you know that the majority of the brain’s work is processing information from the

body to the brain, not the other way around? That’s right! Our bodies are innately intelligent,

the brain just operates as a translator for the information being sent. Glass walking offers an

opportunity to fine tune this process of listening to the body. Walking on broken glass engages

several of our senses on an intense level. Touch, sight and sound are all involved and vital in

every moment while we cross the glass. In this way walking on glass fosters a deeper

relationship to how we trust the body, not just the mind.

If you are reading this as someone who is considering the training offered at the

Firewalking Center, I will share that glass walking WILL enhance your skills as a fire tender. Fire

tending requires a certain high level of vigilance and attention that glass walking can greatly

contribute to. When you choose to walk on broken glass, you are leaving your logic and resistance at the door and surrendering your intelligence to the body. You will become hyper aware of what is happening in this moment. You will sense a sharpness beneath you that should be avoided, thus adjusting your foot placement prior to committing to the full weight of your step. You will be aware of every creak, ping and crushing sound as your foot moves the glass around looking for the right place to bear weight. Your body will release tension as your

full step comes down on the glass and you remain unscathed. 

This hyper attunement will carry on in your work as a fire walking facilitator because it will aid you in sensing the energy of your participants and strengthening your clarity in connection to the burning wood and its cues.

Beyond the skills learned at a firewalking instructor training, the benefits of glass

walking can ripple far into practical everyday life as well. Some situations require our

gentleness rather than intensity. After completing a glass walk, you will walk away with a

deeper sense of trust in your body and choices. In a hustling modern world, glass walking can

help us remember that tasks can and will be completed when we take our time and move

slower, offering more attention to the subtleties. Depending on personal history with abuse or

addiction, glass walking can catalyze profound meaningful healing. Imagine a person who has

gone through the twelve steps of addiction recovery for alcohol abuse crossing a bed of broken

glass. What an empowering moment in time, to reclaim a power over what once had power

over you. 

In an age of constant distraction and multi-tasking, glass walking is a powerful way to

BE HERE NOW, and move through life with presence, meaning and intention.

A final note on the glass walk and its benefits. Not everyone who crosses a glass walk

will do so alone. Many participants use the help of a spotter, as in, someone walking alongside

the glass walker with their arm out for balance support. A glass walk is a great way to un-shame

relying on help and support to get something accomplished. We are all different in our needs

and limitations. Using the aid of a sturdy arm to finish the glass walk is nothing to be

embarrassed about. I have seen elders with trouble walking use TWO spotters to cross a

firewalk, and facilitators who have crossed many broken glass beds use the aid of a spotter. This

of course translates deeply into fire tending and practical life. It is absolutely acceptable to

need and utilize support. 

Metaphors abound for any skill or activity learned at the Firewalking

Center, and I hope you will consider joining us someday!