For three years, Amy Baack has been teaching free outdoor yoga classes at San Diego's Sunset Cliffs Nature Park every week.
But last Wednesday, he arrived for his 6 p.m. class to find three ranger trucks parked on the cliffs. Some of his students, visibly upset and crying, were talking to the rangers. Due to a new ordinance passed in March, rangers said, community gatherings of four or more people that could be considered a business were no longer allowed in Sunset Cliffs.
Baack had worked with park rangers in the past, who allowed her and other yoga teachers to teach donation-based classes as long as they included fewer than 50 people and did not use any amplified sound.
“This is definitely not where I get my business,” said Baack, who also offers private yoga and meditation classes for a fee. “It's more about community and creating that sense of collective here in San Diego because we welcome people from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds.”
Amy Baack, background, leads a yoga class at Sunset Cliffs Nature Park in San Diego in February.
(Courtesy of Amy Baack)
The ordinance specifies parks where people can do yoga and fitness classes, as well as other activities, if they obtain a permit, but Sunset Cliffs is not one of them.
Jackie Kowalik also had to cancel the free class she has been teaching at Sunset Cliffs since 2017. Some of her students who were unaware of the new ordinance showed up last week, only to be greeted by park rangers.
“This is about our community,” he said. “I think a lot of people think it's two yoga teachers who are angry. “You are taking away joy and comfort and accessing a safe place for mental health without consulting citizens.”
Kowalik, who teaches paid classes at gyms, said he has heard of soccer games and volleyball tournaments that have also been shut down. She and some of the other yoga instructors in the community hope to apply for a permit to teach at Sunset Cliffs, and have reached out to their clients and asked them to let the city know how the free donation works. Yoga classes based on them have helped them.
“I know these classes mean a lot to people,” he said. “The stories people have been telling about getting out of depression, mothers bringing their families and children, broke college students, and unemployed people who can't afford to take a class at a studio.”
Night begins to fall in a yoga class at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park in San Diego.
(Courtesy of Amy Baack)
Caleb Olsen, a city spokesman, said in an email that while many people have expressed opposition to the ordinance online, there is also support from people who use the park, live in the area or are against “activities.” “Commercials not permitted on city land.” .”
Barbara Keiller, president of the Sunset Cliffs Nature Park Council, said there have been some concerns about the safety of those participating in yoga and fitness classes, especially in the cliff area. Because it is long, narrow and susceptible to erosion, she said, there is a risk that the soil will give way and people will fall to their deaths.
Keiller said the classes leave less parking space and block part of the California Coastal Trail.
“We are realizing that it is inappropriate to have 50 people on the edge of a narrow cliff, blocking the way for other people,” he said.
Keiller herself participated in outdoor yoga classes and called the activity “very important.”
“There are safe places for people to do that,” he added.
Kowalik and the other instructors spoke with a civil rights attorney and contacted city officials, who agreed to meet with them. Meanwhile, Kowalik rented a private location for his Sunday class and said he will continue to do so at his own expense.
“I'm just trying to teach a yoga class that's for the community, I'm not trying to cause a sensation,” he added.
