Rodney Yee is one of the most recognized yoga instructors in the world. He has been featured on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” CNN and PBS, and his instructional programs are often among the top 10 fitness programs in the U.S. He has been featured in more than 20 Gaiam yoga titles, and is the author of the book Moving Toward Balance and the co-author of Yoga: The Poetry of the Body.

Rodney first discovered yoga in 1978 while dancing with the Oakland Ballet. As a professional dancer who was also studying physical therapy at the University of California at Davis, he had long been on a quest to improve his body's flexibility. Although dancing benefited him, Rodney's search continued until he and a fellow dancer decided to try yoga.

“When I took my first class, it was an enormous physical and emotional relief,” Rodney recalls. “Of all the physical disciplines, yoga changed my body the fastest. It also cleanses me emotionally and mentally. Each time I practice I feel as if I'm waking with a clean slate out of a deep sleep.”

While dancing with the Matsuyama Ballet Company of Tokyo, he continued taking yoga classes in Japan. 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 his own teaching center, Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland, Calif. He still owns and operates the studio while living in New York state. Although he has mainly studied in the Iyengar vein, in recent years he has relied strongly on his own practice and intuition to influence his teaching.

His current work includes involvement with Gaiam Yoga for Life™, a non-profit organization that brings the healing, character-building practice of yoga to inner city children and communities across the country.