ROXANNE de Guzman has trained in many schools of yoga, principally Iyengar and Anusara, and understands that although a ?teacher?, we always humble ourselves as students of any discipline.

Roxanne has her own approach to yoga, including the relationship between breathing, mind control, and meditation.

?Yoga is non-competitive. It?s not about being ?holier-than-thou? or judging yourself or anything else,? she said.

?It?s about watching your thoughts, feelings and taking a conscious breath in present time. We may all come together in a class realising we practice all as one, flowing with a vibe, and that one feeds another.

?But the reason you unroll your mat on any given day may seem very personal.

?For example, if you set an intention at the start of your practice, the intention could encompass a thought or wish ranging from a personal goal to a prayer or even a dedication to loved one or a complete stranger.?

Roxanne has been health-coaching a 70-year old Indian man during the past month.

?He is so enthusiastic, he is mentally sharp and he and his wife are quite refreshing to be around,? she said.

?They are old and wise, but youthful in their attitudes and outlook.

?This man will say things you? have probably heard many times before, such as ?life isn?t a dress-rehearsal. This is it.?

?I?ll have him stretch into adhomukhosvanasana (downward facing dog) ? a place where I return to the realisation that a person?s symmetry ? the way we have shaped our muscles around our bones ?says a lot about us and our typical patterns.?

Roxanne said it was important for a yoga teacher to get feedback.

?It is one way of indicating the many ways which we can work with individuals to assist in re-aligning and re-engineering their muscles while waking up the nerves and cells through breath and elongation (stretching),? she said.

Roxanne says yoga is one per cent theory and 99 per cent practice.

?Our approach is to teach students the physical aspects of the practice, and encourage them to practice those aspects diligently and let the breath control, mind control, and meditative aspects arise naturally over time,? she said.

?If you can be still without trying or forcing yourself, you might find that through your physical practice of asanas (postures) on the mat, that a gem does indeed
arise as a spark of a great idea or the solution to a creative block.

?Returning to the reasons why you step onto your mat, and what you might find there, you may remember to ride your intention like a wave with the intelligence of the breath, consciously connecting to a muscle group or nerve ending which is being stretched, strengthened or delicately adjusted.

?Your thoughts and your body are different every day.

They are different even from morning to evening, which is why stopping and listening silently before engaging in a practice of movement is so important.

?Every living being has the capacity to create, to live creatively and the license to express one?s self.

?It is our natural state, and there are many ways to awaken the creative spirit while freeing ourselves from the restrictions that bind us from keeping this spirit alive.

?Whether you are an artist by trade, or simply seeking to be more creative, yoga is a practice that can awaken, deepen and empower this force within us all.?

Roxanne said yoga had an inevitable and mystical effect of shifting our perceptions, expanding our hearts and re-connecting us to our spirits.

For information, email roxanne@yogaphuket.com