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Leaders of the pack - Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden promote yoga for fitness

American Fitness, March, 1999 by Steve Syatt

Currently one of the hottest forms of fitness in the country, yoga is being promoted by magnetic yoga instructors Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden.

Living Arts[R] has sold more than two million copies of Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden's yoga fitness video series. Available in almost every home video seller, retail chain, grocery store and nearly 100 catalogs nationwide, Yee and Walden have emerged as a fitness institution and gained international attention. On video or in person, Yee and Walden capture the imagination of America's health enthusiasts. Practicing what they teach, both embody yoga's centuries-old ideals.

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Yee first discovered yoga while dancing with the Oakland Ballet, and Walden began practicing yoga while studying modern dance in San Francisco. Twenty years later, millions have discovered the benefits of yoga through their mastery.

Yee began practicing the ancient art to improve his flexibility, while Walden sought relaxation. Through yoga, Yee achieved tremendous body flexibility and Walden mastered essential relaxation techniques.

After leaving the Oakland ballet in 1981, Yee traveled to Japan to join the Matsuyama Ballet Company of Tokyo. He continued practicing yoga in Japan until 1983 when he returned to the United States to share his knowledge. He began teaching at the Yoga Room in Berkeley, California, where his classes ultimately tripled during his two-year stint. Yee was encouraged to open his own yoga studio at the Piedmont Yoga Center in Oakland, California. Today, thousands attend his classes. The Piedmont Yoga Center offers an advanced studies program for training yoga instructors. Yee actively travels to teach yoga in Bali, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, India and other countries.

In 1976, Walden met Indian yoga master B.K.S. Iyengar. Two years later, she began teaching Iyengar yoga herself. Walden currently teaches yoga internationally and travels yearly to India to continue her studies with the master, his daughter, Gita, and son, Rashan. In 1985, Walden founded the B.K.S. Iyengar Yoga Center of Greater Boston. Her class sizes have increased dramatically since then.

In 1990, encouraged by the significant increase in yoga's domestic popularity, Walden brought the same commitment and caring to millions of others through an innovative home video, Yoga Journal's Yoga Practice for Beginners. The response was overwhelming. Yoga Journal's Yoga Practice for Beginners from Living Arts became the world's best-selling yoga video. In 1992, Yee and Living Arts teamed up for the first of a voluminous yoga fitness video series, including Yoga Journal's Yoga Practice for Strength, Yoga Practice for Relaxation and Remedies for Natural Healing. The videos' impact was immediate and widespread. Six years later, Yee, Walden and Living Arts have turned yoga into a national fitness phenomenon.

In 1998, Yee, Walden and Living Arts embarked on a revolutionary 20-minute video series. Under the banner of Living Yoga, the videos debuted with Living Yoga's AM Yoga for Beginners and PM Yoga for Beginners. Both titles skyrocketed to the top of the Video Scan charts after only one week. Yee's newest release, Living Yoga's Abs Yoga for Beginners, offers a 20-minute beginner's program designed to help build more powerful and defined abdominal muscles.

"The success of Yoga Journal and Living Yoga underscores Rodney and Patricia's immense magnetism and their role as two of America's most preeminent yoga teachers," says Steve Adams, president of Living Arts. "Their audience is second to none in terms of numbers and loyalty."

Established in 1987 by Adams, Living Arts has emerged as the nation's foremost producer and supplier of yoga fitness videos. Millions of consumers have enthusiastically purchased the more than 15 videos released since Living Arts' formation.

Inspired by years of yoga practice and encouraged by the success of bestselling healing arts books, Adams felt home videos were the ideal medium for making ancient healing arts contemporary and accessible to the Western audience. Committed to an ambitious slate of productions by becoming the first healing arts video publisher, Living Arts has inspired dozens of imitators.

Massage for Health (featuring Shari Belafonte) became an instant success for Living Arts when released in 1988. The platinum-selling video won numerous industry and consumer awards, setting a precedent for outstanding editorial and production. It is now the hallmark of the Living Arts catalog, which includes more than 30 best-selling video and audio titles.

Living Arts has built an extensive distribution network unrivaled by any other fitness publishing company. The company's videos can be purchased in leading retail stores, including Target, Price-Costco, Sam's Club, Borders and Whole Foods Market, as well as supermarkets, health centers, spas, gift stores, yoga studios and chiropractic offices. They are regularly featured in more than 65 nationwide mail order catalogs, including Book-of-the-Month Club, Reader's Digest and Self-Care Catalog. Living Arts' videos are also distributed internationally throughout Germany, Italy, Brazil and Australia.

Leaders of the pack - Rodney Yee and Patricia Walden promote yoga for fitness

American Fitness, March, 1999 by Steve Syatt

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