Rodney Yee, born in 1957 to a military family, is an American
Yoga instructor. His father’s military career took his family to many places including Texas and Puerto Rico.
As a young boy, Yee trained as a gymnast and later became a ballet dancer. While studying ballet, he also attended the University of California, Berkeley, where he studied philosophy and the prerequisite courses for physical therapy. He dropped-out of college to dance full-time. He performed with the Oakland Ballet Company and the Matsuyama Ballet Company of Tokyo, Japan. During this time, he became intrigued with Iyengar Yoga.
Yee studied at The Yoga Room, a small studio in Berkeley, California. As he mastered the Iyengar style, he began to incorporate his own techniques into the ancient yoga form, creating his own signature style of yoga.
In the 1990’s, Yee became a well-known face in the yoga scene when he starred in the Gaiam Yoga instructional videos. These videos soared in popularity as yoga became more mainstream and the series now contains approximately thirty videos.
Yee co-founded the Piedmont Yoga Studio in Oakland. He left the studio after he was accused of sexually harassing some of his students. Three female students claimed Yee acted inappropriately. He ended his association with the business, divorced his wife, married one of his students and now lives in The Hamptons.
Yee is still involved with yoga. He teaches workshops, holds conferences and hosts retreats. Although his image was tarnished by the sexual harassment scandal, Yee continues to attract and teach students enthusiastic about yoga.
~ Amanda Miller
