Learn Yoga with Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman

Gaiam Yoga Studio Instructor Bios

Rodney Yee, Yoga Instructor:

Rodney Yee first began studying yoga about 26 years ago while dancing with the Oakland Ballet and studying physical therapy. When he was with the Matsuyama Ballet Company of Tokyo, Rodney continued taking yoga classes. By the time he returned to the U.S. in 1983, Rodney was committed to sharing his knowledge. He began teaching at The Yoga Room in Berkeley, Calif., and later opened Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, Calif. He has studied yoga in India with B.K.S. Iyengar, and philosophy at the University of California at Berkeley. Although he has studied extensively in the Iyengar tradition, he relies strongly on his own practice, intuition, philosophy and spirituality to influence his teaching.

Now one of the most recognized and popular yoga instructors in the world, Rodney has been a guest on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," CNN and PBS. He is featured in over 30 yoga DVDs, which are often among the top 10 fitness titles in the U.S. Rodney also co-authored two books with Nina Zolotow — Yoga: The Poetry of the Body, and Moving Toward Balance, a guide to home practice.

Rodney leads workshops and teacher trainings around the world including many with his wife Colleen Saidman. He also serves as a co-chair of the Urban Zen Health and Wellness Initiative, a foundation dedicated to bringing yoga, massage and holistic therapies to hospitals around the nation.

Colleen Saidman, Yoga Instructor:

Colleen's introduction to yoga was at the urging of a roommate who convinced her to attend a class at a loft space in New York City over 20 years ago. It was not long after that first class, that her wornout running shoes, her basketball and her boxing gloves became relics of the past. And in 1994, after enduring back surgery, Colleen's commitment to her yoga practice deepened.

A graduate of Jivamukti's Teacher Training program in 1998, she has been teaching ever since. Colleen has been featured in both The New York Times and New York Magazine, the November 2003 cover of Yoga Journal and several best-selling yoga DVDs.

Her passion for working in health care started in junior high at a geriatric center. Certified in Shiatsu, Colleen has traveled throughout Europe and Asia studying complementary medicine and spiritual healing. She also lived in Calcutta, India working with Mother Theresa at the Home of the Destitute and Dying. Currently, Colleen serves as a co-chair of the Urban Zen Health and Wellness Initiative, a foundation dedicated to bringing yoga, massage and holistic therapies to hospitals around the nation.

Colleen co-owns and co-directs Yoga Shanti in Sag Harbor, N.Y. She also leads retreats and teacher trainings nationally and internationally, many with her husband Rodney Yee.

Learn from the world-class yoga instructors Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman with Gaiam Yoga Studio.