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About Me

John Barnes has over fourteen years experience as a Registered Massage Therapist. He has served on the Board of the Massage therapists Assoc. of Nova Scotia, was the Chairperson of the East Coast Massage Therapist's Assoc. and representative to the Association of Complementary Health Practitioners.

John has worked from the onset of his career in integrated health settings and was part owner of Harmony Integrated Therapies. He now focuses all of his energy on his home based clinic, Barnes Massage Therapy.

He is married with two adult children and one granddaughter. An interest in strength training, kayaking, cycling and cross-country skiing keeps him fit and gives him additional insight into sports related problems. John has over 35 years experience in several meditative practices. His hobbies include gardening and growing bonsai trees.

Location:
Canada, Dartmouth
Current organization:
Barnes Massage Therapy
Current role:
owner/therapist
Gender:
Male
My website links:
BARNES MASSAGE THERAPY
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    A comment on Conversation: What 3 things did you learn while you were in a near-death experience?

    Jun 1 2011: I had a near drowning experience about 15 years ago. I was body surfing off a beach in Nova Scotia just after a hurricane and the waves were spectacular. I went out too far and was caught in a rip tide. Struggling to swim ashore against the tide I became totally exhausted. I said to myself "shit, you really f***ed-up this time; you're going to die out here".
    My focus became very small - just the sea around me, and I started to become very calm. I am ashamed to say that my thoughts were completely centered around my own existence in the water- I had two young children on the beach with my brother and a wife at home. With the calmness, my ability to think became much clearer. Instead of fighting the current, I started to relax, save energy and let my muscles regain some strength. I started to swim parallel to the beach until the current seem to lessen. I finally washed up on shore about 3/4 of a mile down the beach on some rocks. The joy at being alive, on land and re-connected to life was incredibly powerful, but it started to fade in several days.
    What did I learn?
    1 - fearlessness is not the absence of fear or conquering fear, but accepting your fear and acting anyway.
    2 - ego makes your world very small and isolated; it is a very lonely state.
    3 - our connection to life and to others needs work - never take it for granted. Our connectedness on an experiential level (not a virtual level), is assumed, but not always experienced - it is appreciated less then our so-called reality.

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