Rodolfo Villanueva - Auckland
Rodolfo, known to most of his students as Rod, teaches yoga as a volunteer in high- and
maximum-security prisons. His teaching is secular and trauma-informed. It is a practical way for people to build steadiness,
self-awareness and trust in their own bodies. It is not about obedience, and there is nothing
to perform.
In class, students move at their own pace. They can question anything that does not feel
right, and trust what they notice. Rodolfo works to keep the room clear and steady, and to
teach in a way that takes trauma, power and life inside prison seriously. There is lightness
too. Humour and real joy turn up alongside the focus, and they are often the best part of the
class.
He is grateful to his students. Their dedication, humility and curiosity keep teaching him.
He is grateful to his own teachers as well: his grandmothers, his colleagues and his
classmates. Among those who have shaped how he understands practice and care are Professor
Liz Peterson, Kirsty van de Geer, Sandey Hoskin, Kylie Rook, Melissa Franklin, Donna Farhi,
Lisa Eliott, Amy Atkinson, Monica Cronin and Jason Crandell.
Teaching is not about authority or having the answers. It is about turning up honestly and
staying open to learning. It is about leaving people their dignity and their own choices.
His teaching outside prison and his writing are at villanueva.co.nz. He is on Instagram as