For years, yogis of all ages and backgrounds have gathered on Sunset Cliffs to attend free classes while enjoying one of San Diego’s most popular vistas. However, following recent revisions of a municipal code by the City of San Diego, the well-attended outdoor classes have been banned.

Amy Baack, CEO of Mind Body Badass, has regularly led yoga classes on Sunset Cliffs for around three years. Upon arriving at one of her weekly evening classes on Wednesday, May 8, Baack found park rangers blocking the area.

“I showed up at 5:40 p.m. and saw that there were three park ranger trucks all parked out on the cliffs and at least four park rangers came later,” Baack said. “The park rangers were talking to a group of my students that had gotten there early and they were already visibly upset and crying.”

Park rangers then informed Baack that an updated law had passed in March, which the City was now enforcing, barring her from leading classes on the cliffs.

In a statement, City of San Diego spokesperson Caleb Olsen shared that: “The City of San Diego’s Municipal Code prohibits groups consisting of four or more people engaged in commercial recreational activities and services such as yoga, fitness classes, and dog training from gathering in parks without a permit and can only operate in certain designated areas. Picnics and other gatherings of 50 or more also require a permit in parks, beaches, and bay.

“The applicable municipal code (SDMC 63.0102) has been in effect since 1993, and recent updates to the policy have clarified the activities for which necessary permitting applies. These updates went into effect on March 29 and are in place to ensure these public spaces remain safe and accessible to all users at all times. Park rangers, police, and lifeguards have the authority to enforce these codes to ensure public safety in San Diego’s parks and beaches.”

A spokesperson for Mayor Todd Gloria did not respond in time to a request for comment regarding the ordinance’s revision.

Baack said that park rangers were not open to a discussion. “When I had questions of why we weren’t informed of [the ordinance] or given any kind of notification or warning ahead of time, the rangers got fairly hostile,” she said. “They came on very aggressively and told me I was an irresponsible leader for not knowing that this law was taking place.”

Gabriela Romero has attended Baack’s Wednesday class for the past seven months, as well as free community classes offered by other teachers on Sunset Cliffs. She was present when park rangers broke up the class.

“Although the park rangers were calm as we spoke with them, they often responded to us by saying things like ‘Our interaction could’ve been much worse’ and further elaborated by saying something along the lines of ‘We could’ve arrived at your class and stopped it midway through, causing a scene for your instructor,’ essentially using language that came off as threatening,” Romero said.

“There is no reason for saying ‘it couldn’t be worse’ to a group of women who are here to improve their minds and bodies through collective movement and breathwork. We are not here to cause harm or disturb anyone’s peace, so for the park rangers to respond with aggressive language was uncalled for. Furthermore, the discussion went on for much too long and felt more like one park ranger talking at Amy, who was incredibly patient with him, rather than having an actual conversation,” Romero said.

Baack added that instructors have regularly contacted the City’s Park and Recreation Department and were told throughout the years that permits weren’t available for Sunset Cliffs, but, as long as instructors followed the rules, they were permitted to teach.

Jackie Kowalik, also known as @yoga_jawn on Instagram, has led yoga classes at Sunset Cliffs since 2017 and expressed similar sentiments.

“I was told that I did not need [a permit] because [the classes] were free. The rangers said that their main concerns were that we keep our classes at 48 people and less, including the instructor, and amplified sound.”

Both maintained that they felt that such regulations were more than reasonable and they were happy to comply. They also said that instructors all carry liability insurance, as well.

“Now, when we call the city office they tell us to get a permit, when we call the permit office they tell us we cannot get a permit,” Baack said. “So, there’s no workaround and we just want a seat at the table to have a conversation with the City Council and to find some sort of solution.”

Following Wednesday night’s incident, instructors, students, and community members took to Instagram to share their reactions.

“What I’m hearing from people is heartbreaking but eye-opening stories in how these classes have saved some people’s lives and mental health,” Kowalik said. “I knew that people loved these classes. I’ve had people come up to me crying after classes thanking me, but I don’t think I grasped the scope of it until this all happened.”

Physical therapist Stephanie Waddell began taking these free classes in 2019 while she was a student. After moving back to the city in 2021, she attended as many as three classes per week.

“A lot of healthcare providers come to these classes frequently and they are vital to our mental health,” Waddell said. “I rely on these classes to keep sane and be able to provide patient and empathetic care to my patients in the hospital during the week. I’m not sure how I’m going to cope without them.”

Although instructors have accepted donations for their classes, monetary contributions are not required to attend. Instead, instructors said that these classes have focused on inclusion and accessibility.

“Because [the classes are] free, we get all kinds of people from all over the world,” Baack said. “There are a lot of tourists who come through. A lot of neighboring hotels will send their [guests] to us and we provide mats. Sometimes even homeless people join in. I get mostly students, a lot of veterans, a lot of the LGBTQ+ community. So, we’re serving a portion of the community who doesn’t feel that they can access studio yoga prices.”

“You’re here to reconnect with your body,” Kowalik echoed. “There’s no mirror, you don’t have to worry about how your belly looks in your pants, you don’t have to worry about looking goofy or falling over. All you have to think about is how you can connect with yourself.”

Many teachers and students believed that the ban was the result of just one or a few Sunset Cliffs residents calling the city and filing complaints about the classes.

“At multiple times, at least one specific resident would be right on the sidewalk and come and actively yell at us,” Baack recalled. “He was extremely aggressive and would come to take photos and videos of most of my classes. Just constantly stalking us and complaining. I believe that’s the reason we’ve been targeted. A lot of the other yoga classes that are donation-based in San Diego have not been shut down. We’ve been singled out for a law that is either supposed to apply to everybody or not.”

Baack and Kowalik have set up a GoFundMe to help with the expense of hiring a civil rights lawyer, lobbying, petitioning the city, and more. You can learn more about the efforts here: https://www.gofundme.com/f/save-sunset-cliffs-yoga.

“I will never be able to afford the privilege of waking up every morning to the views of Sunset Cliffs, or eating dinner on a fancy porch overlooking the sun as it sets along the shoreline,” Romero said. “But I have had the privilege of attending these free yoga classes which have served as an hour of stress-free bliss one day each week. Going to the Sunset Cliffs yoga classes has had an incredible impact on my physical and mental health as I’ve settled into San Diego.”

Instructors hope to speak soon with the City Council about the ordinance.

Top photo by Thomas Melville