If you want an in-depth online yoga class with experienced,
knowledgeable teachers, you can't get better than the Gaiam Yoga Club.
Gaiam Yoga Club is a complete yoga course, taught by Rodney Yee and
Colleen Saidman.
Gaiam Yoga Club Introductory Video
Who Teaches the Yoga Class at Gaiam Yoga Club?
Rodney
Yee
began teaching yoga 26 years ago after having been a ballet
dancer. He primarily studied with BKS Iyengar, although he
branches out from his root by following his intuition.
I took a few yoga classes from Rodney in the early 1990's.
While
I'm sure his teaching has evolved and grown, I can attest that he was
then as charismatic as he is now. He has a lovely sense of
humor. He is a committed, serious yogi and at the same time,
he is light and humorous. His comfort with himself and his
yoga shines through in his teachings.
Because Rodney had such an excellent reputation of knowing yoga deeply
and teaching fabulously, Rodney's classes were always packed.
I remember a few that were elbow to elbow because so many people wanted
to benefit from him.
The other memory I have of Rodney is that even in the early 1990's, he
was including yoga philosophy and teachings in his classes.
He was the only teacher at that time who would have a passage from a
sacred text or philosophical work at the end of his yoga
classes.
He would read the text and then expand on it. He has been
searching for the deepest meanings in yoga throughout his long career.
Colleen Saidman
has been teaching yoga in New York for over 20 years. She
started with training from Jivamukti and has been teaching ever since.
Colleen has a varied and interesting past. She is a former
model. She once ran, played basketball and boxed.
She has traveled all over Europe and Asia studying
complimentary medicine and spiritual healing. And she worked
in Calcutta, India with Mother Theresa at the Home of the
Destitute and Dying. Currently she owns Yoga Shanti in Sag
Harbor, N.Y, and she co-chairs, along with Rodney, the Urban Zen Health
and Wellness Initiative, a foundation
dedicated to bringing yoga, massage and holistic therapies to hospitals
around the nation.
I have not taken any classes from Colleen Saidman, so I can't give a
personal
review of her teaching, but if you watch the Rodney
Yee and Colleen Saidman on Good Morning
America, you can
see that she also has a vivacious teaching style. She is
funny and very personable. Rodney and Colleen make a good
team.
In the following video, Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman teach an online
yoga class in which they demonstrate the tree pose. You can
get a good taste of Colleen and
Rodney's teaching style.
Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman Demonstrate Tree Pose
Great Features of Gaiam's Yoga Club with Rodney Yee and
Colleen
Saidman:
The online yoga
classes
include 75 different poses.
The poses are described in
great detail.
There are 3 levels of the
poses so you should find
something for every
ability level.
The yoga class program
includes
meditation and pranayama
(breathing) to support
stress reduction.
There are 45 printable
pose guides, good for use away
from the
computer. Here is a sample yoga pose guide.
Over 60 hours of audio
content which can be
downloaded into your ipod
or mp3 to use anywhere. Here is a sample audio.
Rodney and Colleen blog
and chat online.
Online Community support
in the forums.
Free 5 day
trial. Try Gaiam Yoga Club with no risk to
you for 5 days.
The online yoga class program is
sequenced to be used each day (although it is perfectly
fine to take your time following it). Each day has new
information and builds on the day before. But since it is
online, you don't have to follow that pace. If you need to go
over
one section more, review it and repeat it as long as
necessary.
Nine hour long
videos form the core of the program. Each
video has 10-12 sections which you can view separately or
together. Rodney and Colleen take turns narrating and they
explain the poses with a great deal of information about the
fundamentals.
The audios are made
available one/day and are about 20-35
minutes long. Each week, the audios consist of
four daily
practices, one
with meditation and pranayama (breathing) and the seventh day is for
rest. Pose charts give you an extra cheat sheet so that you
can get visual cues about the poses without having to be near the
computer.
By week 10-12,
Rodney and Colleen begin to give sequencing principles
via podcasts. If you follow this program,
even if you
start as a complete beginner, by the end of the series, you will have
the basics to begin your own home practice. And with Rodney
and Colleen blogging and chatting online with you, the support of the
online yoga community in the forums, and review of the yoga program at
your own pace, you can get all your yoga class questions answered.
An online yoga class can be the perfect solution to your yoga needs.
Affordability, convenience and the ability to take it at your
own speed make this alternative to yoga classes great.
Rodney Yee and Colleen Saidman are great teachers and they have put
together a really thorough, complete yoga class in the Gaiam Yoga Club.
My Yoga Online Review:
If you want a different online yoga workout everyday, then
this is the program for you. Dozens of teachers, dozens of
workouts, and pages and pages of information about healthy living--this
is truly a library of yoga
Rodney
Yee
began teaching yoga 26 years ago after having been a ballet
dancer. He primarily studied with BKS Iyengar, although he
branches out from his root by following his intuition.
Colleen Saidman
has been teaching yoga in New York for over 20 years. She
started with training from Jivamukti and has been teaching ever since.
