Barney

 

Barney, a legend of the local surf community, two-time Australian champion and ex world ranked body boarder takes time out daily to meditate and add other benefits of the yoga tradition to his daily life.

Now retired from competitive surfing, Barney still lives and breathes the surfing life, when not in the water, he works as a distributor selling body boards along the coast and still teaches aspiring champions and youth groups, passing on his expertise in the surf.

Not being one dimensional, Barney spends additional time doing up his house and tending a well stocked organic vegetable garden. He and his partner Karyn take pride in cultivating their garden, a lavish array of fresh vegetables and herbs. Those items that don’t get eaten by the assortment of quirky pets (misfits with personality!) that Barney and Karyn care for, end up in a variety of amazing vegetarian dishes.

Barney’s other world class talent is cooking. He is one of the volunteer chefs at the Australian School of Meditation and Yoga that serves up now legendary vegetarian feasts every Sunday at the Spiritual Gathering in Burleigh and at additional Balanced Life retreats, Mantra Rock Dances and Christmas celebrations. Some of these celebrations are attended by 300 people and no one leaves hungry or disappointed.

Barney has a real appreciation for the benefits of healthy eating and a healthy life in general. As a young child Barney spent 5 years in and out of hospitals, coping with the effects of cancer. Looking after the health of his body is still a concern but from the yoga tradition Barney understands that overall health also involves looking after the mind and spirit. The yoga tradition has given Barney the ability to balance all three of these areas in his daily life.

Barney’s surfing routine and vegetarian diet keep his body fit and through hatha yoga Barney now has simple breathing techniques that allow him to quieten the mind and relax and release tension from the body. Once the body is relaxed and the mind is quiet, Barney finds it much easier to meditate. It is through meditation that Barney finds a real happiness, inner joy and security that nothing in the world can replace. Not even the world’s best barrel!