He has been described as Australia’s most controversial basketballer, famed during his 18-year career for being equal parts venom, vitriol and vanity.
So to find him in a haven of tranquillity - instructing yoga to the masses at a somewhat forgotten, but treasured Brisbane landmark – is enough to stun you into a repose all of your own.
Is this really Simon Kerle, he of peroxide hair, unrelenting gamesmanship and outspoken tirades, putting people at ease and in touch with their inner selves?
“If you measured intensity on a scale of one to 100, I would have sat around 1000 when I was playing basketball,” admits Kerle.
“I was an idiot really.
“Some coaches tried to curb it, but I was convinced it was what made me who I was as a player.
“Now I realise, if anything, I was ignorant and arrogant and bought into this whole concept filled with negativity.”
Noticeably more at ease in his skin these days, Kerle talks in poised, languid sentences, a sharp contrast to the rapid-fire verbals he would offer opponents and journalists alike in his pro career.
His new habitat is the iconic Breakfast Creek Wharf at Newstead, where he has combined with fellow rat-race escapee Mandy Shearn to open Raw Power Yoga studio.
The transformation of the former Brisbane Bullet from manic to meditative has in no way been instantaneous however.
“When I finished playing hoops, I didn’t ease off,” says Kerle
“Until about four years ago, I was involved in commercial property, pizza franchises, a restaurant bar…probably eight-to-ten businesses at once.
“I was working from 5am to 9pm and making so many repayments. I was basically working for the bank.
“Then one day I drove past a yoga studio at James Street (New Farm) and thought ‘When it all settles down, I’ll go try that’.”
As a part-time personal trainer, Kerle had already attempted most forms of exercise, from kickboxing to kettlebells.
But he found an hour on a yoga mat opened up notions inside him he’d never previously contemplated.
It was around this time that some business deals soured, a few friendships were burnt and a fresh perspective on life was more than welcomed.
“I found when I was at a normal gym it was dudes and girls walking around with their chests out, jacked up, ready to criticise people and just a really bad vibe,” says Kerle.
“When I went to yoga nobody cared if you couldn’t complete a particular pose and the energy was all positive.
“You’re not being judged and, just as importantly, you’re not judging anyone else.
“When you are always on the go, your mind gets so messy and you’re so stressed, you don’t have the time to quieten down and get things in order.
“For me yoga was a recharge of my emotional state, my physical state and the spiritual as well.”
Though he never had ambitions to teach yoga – even with the urging of friends – Kerle was finally converted to an instructor after attending what he describes as a “mind-blowing” session in Melbourne 18 months ago.
There he lay on his back convinced he could bring “blessings” to others who had filled their lives with tension.
Kerle then started honing his craft though four weekly sessions in Brisbane, where he charged a gold coin donation for 4 ASD Kids, an autism spectrum charity run by celebrity friends Mat Rogers and Chloe Maxwell.
Within months his full moon sessions under the Storey Bridge became so popular that 120 people would attend a single event.
“We even had 30 people one day when it was absolutely pouring rain,” laughs Kerle.
While the journey of discovery has been rewarding and filled with freedom, the ex-NBL bad boy now enjoys some added permanency with his new studio.
Featuring vaulted ceilings, blessed with natural light and with room for over 100 students to reach their higher plan, it is essentially Kerle’s new ‘stadium’ to entertain crowds.
That he does so in silence and only occasional hushed tones is as much a revelation to the man himself as it is to anyone else.
