Local fitness instructor wants yoga to be for everybody

A certified fitness instructor and Brooklyn native is helping neighbors stay active with donation-based yoga classes in Sunset Park.

On the last Saturday of each month, participants and instructor Michelangelo Villalba meet at the Sixth Avenue and 43rd Street entrance to the park and find a shady spot on the lawn overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

The suggested donation is $10, but Villalba makes it clear all are welcome, regardless of their ability to pay.

“My goal is really to bring fitness to the community so that way not everyone has to pay an exclusive price or have to pay hundreds of dollars for personal training,” he said.

Villalba, who moved to Sunset Park two years ago, says he wants to promote wellness, movement, and a sense of community. “It’s mostly about being connected and really identifying with your own body and feeling that sense that you can do something,” he said.

Villalba believes it’s healthy for people to push beyond their comfort zones, but he understands why some people are hesitant to try yoga.

“A lot of people, especially if they have injuries or are afraid to move because something happened to them in the past, they have that fear of movement,” Villalba said. “And what I brought here today was building a little bit more confidence as well as an understanding of what limitations people may or may not have.”

The classes are designed to be inclusive of all body types, ages, and experience levels.

“We welcome all shapes and forms of bodies and life here,” said Villalba. “There were people over the age of 65, middle-aged, and a child as well.” Each class concludes with trainer-assisted stretching.

Many of his participants are Spanish-speaking residents from across Brooklyn. One attendee, Carmina Mosquera, traveled from Borough Park to join the session.

“Yoga, all kinds of exercise and stretching is good for your health,” she said, adding that it’s also a way to temporarily escape life’s troubles. “You forget about everything in your home and come—it’s for your health and also a distraction.”

Villalba hopes to continue the classes through the fall and is currently looking for an indoor space as the weather cools. He also wants to expand his reach in Sunset Park to his Chinese-speaking neighbors.

“I would love to see if I could get anyone that knows how to represent that community and see if we could collaborate together,” he said.

Villalba’s group can be found on Instagram at @sunsetparkwellness and @wellnessawareness. The next class is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 30.