Meet Rutviq

My name is Rutviq, and I have been a devoted Yoga Teacher for over 10 years. My journey began in a small town called Davangere, my birth place. Coming from a humble farming family — my father a farmer, my mother a farmer's wife — I learned early on to love the rivers, villages, and hills. I spent years traveling across Karnataka and Kerala, learning ancient forms of yoga, meditation, and Kalaripayattu directly from Swamis and gurus.

However, my internal landscape was often a battlefield. Growing up as trans-non-binary, I was bullied simply for practicing and embodying the unity of the masculine and feminine. In a world where mental health struggles weren't viewed as “valid problems,” I fought deeply with depression, fear, and suicidal thoughts. Waking up every morning and putting on my school uniform felt like preparing for war.

But I found my sanctuary in a spiritual school, and my victories on my yoga mat. Through creating shapes with my arms and legs, and finding courage in respiration, I discovered grace in strength and resilience in silence. Yoga taught me to surrender to hope when all I knew was the abyss of doubt. It taught me that to yoke the mind, body, and breath is the ultimate path to freedom.