Roxanne has been
active in Martial Arts, Healing Arts, and Energy Techniques since 1970
when she began studying yoga and her first
Martial Art, Kung Fu. A few years later she moved to Tokyo for three years
where she earned her 2nd Degree Black Belt in Takeda style Aikido.
While in Japan she also studied Shiatsu (acupressure), Kempo, and
Jo-Do.
On her return to
Canada she taught Aikido classes and entered the realm of “soft”
Martial Arts,
immersing herself in
Wu and Yang style T’ai
Chi with numerous teachers until they blessed her transition into
the teacher’s role. Within two years she had a vast following
of students and was teaching workshops and classes in a wide variety of
settings, doing demonstrations, entering competitions, and producing an
instructional video.
After participating
in The Pacific Association of Women’s Martial Arts in California, she
was inspired to create a Canadian equivalent and brought together four
other women to help her produce the Women’s Festival of Martial
Arts (WFMA). WFMA quickly became one of North America’s favourite
Martial Arts camps and in her eight years as Director, Roxanne helped
bring some of North America’s top women Martial Artists to British
Columbia.
She also transferred
her focus to Qi Gong during this time, studying Nei style with
Master Peng and Liang Gong with Master Wen Mei Yu from
California.
In the mid-nineties
she added a daily practice of Ashtanga Yoga to her
routine, taking workshops and classes with some of the world’s top
teachers, and quickly adapting aspects of yoga to her martial arts
training and teaching.
Since 1995 she has
been teaching Yoga, T’ai Chi, Qi Gong, Dream Interpretation, and
Meditation in the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and sponsoring workshops in
areas such as Shamanic Drumming and Plant Spirit Medicine.
In 1999 she traveled
to southern India and found a perfect
blending of healing and martial arts when she spent a month living in
the Kalari Payat school of Balachandran Master in Kerala.
In the true tradition
of Kalari Payat Masters, Balachandran
is renowned as a Healer as well as a Warrior, and his skills are
frequently put to the test due to the intense and dangerous training the
students engage in. Roxanne was awestruck by this art that many scholars consider to be the Mother of all martial arts, and
she quickly added the healing and grounding techniques of Kalari Payat
to her repertoire.
In 2000 she began
studying with Les Moncrieff, a Registered Acupuncturist trained in China
who specializes in Leading Edge treatment modalities. He continues to train her in his unique and proven
approaches in areas such as Korean Hand Therapy (needle-less acupuncture) and
Emotional
Freedom Technique (first developed by American psychologist Dr. Robert Callahan.)
Everything changed dramatically for her on Christmas Eve 2004 when she
was celebrating her 50th birthday and 30th anniversary paragliding in
Nepal. (read
about it here)
She crashed on the landing of her 52nd flight and required all of her skills to survive as she lay alone at the bottom
of a cliff, in agony with a shattered vertebra.
"As
always, the greatest challenges hold the greatest gifts," she says, "and
something happened that day that opened me to new paths. Offering my
Tarot readings and healing techniques to others is one of those, and I
feel humbled that people are so pleased with the results."
The
Neurosurgeons were amazed that Roxanne wasn't paralysed by her injuries
and decided that operating was too risky.
Two years to the day after the accident, she kicked up into a handstand.
She is an ardent
gardener, maintains a regular practice of yoga and meditation, and
is available for private or group sessions.
Drop into the lululemon
store in Whistler for a short consultation with Roxanne,
call
her at 604-932-0621, or email her to book your personal or phone
reading.
