Rodolfo Villanueva

Rodolfo is a volunteer yoga teacher working with men in high- and maximum-security prisons. His approach is secular, trauma-informed, and grounded in dignity, choice, and respect for lived experience. He teaches yoga as a practical way of helping people build self-awareness, steadiness, and trust in their own bodies, rather than as a system of obedience, performance, or self-improvement.

In class, Rodolfo encourages students to move at their own pace, question what does not feel right, and trust their own experience. He aims to create a space that feels clear, grounded, and humane, with care for the realities of trauma, power, and life inside prison. He also values the lightness that can arise in practice: alongside focus and reflection, humour and moments of real joy often appear, and he has come to see those as some of the most meaningful parts of the room.

Rodolfo feels deeply grateful to his students, who continually inspire him with their dedication, humility, and curiosity. He is also grateful to his many teachers, including his grandmothers, colleagues, and classmates, all of whom have shaped the way he understands practice, learning, and care. Among those who have especially influenced him are Professor Liz Peterson, Kirsty van de Geer, Sandey Hoskin, Melissa Franklin, Donna Farhi, Lisa Eliott, Amy Atkinson, Monica Cronin, and Jason Crandell.

For Rodolfo, teaching is not about authority or having answers. It is about showing up with honesty, staying open to learning, and making room for dignity, agency, and presence.