Yoga teachers threaten legal action after swarm of park rangers shut down their free beachside classes in San Diego

A group of San Diego yoga teachers have been told by the city that they can no longer hold their free beach classes.

Despite not charging a dime for their tuition, the instructors are supposedly covered by the city’s updated vendor laws and have had their sessions disrupted by park rangers who have even used trucks to block access to the calming classes.

In the past, the vendor law was primarily intended to crack down on food vendors who were not licensed or perhaps prevent large gatherings in public park spaces.

But the ordinance has now been updated to include other types of commercial and recreational activities in public spaces, including luxury picnics and yoga classes.

The new language specifically prohibits businesses from hosting beach events, classifying yoga and other activities as a “service.”

The city of San Diego says the classes can only proceed with permits and must adhere to a specific plot of land.

Without a permit, only classes of four people or less are allowed.

“They came with big trucks and drove them up the cliffs to shut out our class, which I thought was very excessive,” said Danielle MacGreggor, one of the instructors. Fox 5.

“Every time we show up somewhere, park rangers are ready to pounce, telling people they have to leave and that they can’t settle – that they can’t use the park space that our city tax dollars pay for,” she says. explained.

“It seems so archaic and doesn’t seem to fit with what our city needs, especially in a post-covid world. “I want to make sure the city understands that a very well-intentioned law for regular street vendors has gone wrong,” MacGreggor said.

The yoga instructors thought that because of the relatively small size of their class, combined with the fact that participants pay donations rather than fees, this meant they were not subject to the vendor laws.

The instructors who were told the news have expressed both shock and confusion, especially considering that the classes taking place at parks along San Diego’s coast, including Sunset Cliffs, La Jolla and Pacific Beach, have been without them for more than a decade. problems continue.

“When I got here, the street was full of park ranger trucks,” Jackie Kowalik said Fox 5. “There were three rangers standing in the grass overlooking a yoga class.”

After class, the park rangers came in to give the teacher a card.

“I pay tax dollars to support these parks, to support our city, and I want to be able to use the park however I want. I want my kids to use the parks the way they want,” Kowalik said.

The group has now ordered the city to withdraw and has written a cease and desist letter to city leaders, including City Attorney Mara Elliot and Mayor Todd Gloria.

In their letter, the instructors say that it was not clear in the new law that yoga sessions would also be covered. They argue that the lessons could even be considered a form of free speech, which would be exempt.

“It was never stated that banning yoga in city parks would be a goal or outcome of the street vending ordinance under consideration,” the letter said.

‘Our clients focus on pure speech and teach yoga to anyone who will listen and participate. They do not charge fees and do not block or restrict access to any public space. Passively accepting donations in a manner that is not “inherently intrusive or potentially coercive is also protected speech,” the report further argued.

The yoga instructors also plan to file a lawsuit in hopes of obtaining an injunction against enforcement of the ordinance that would lead to the cancellation of their classes.

A meeting between the yoga teachers and city officials will take place next Friday.