Federal court rules San Diego yoga classes are free speech

SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) -- A federal court has ruled in favor of yoga instructors using public parks for private lessons in San Diego, citing First Amendment rights.

Steve Hubbard, known as NamaSteve, and another yoga instructor have been conducting yoga classes in public parks, which attracted up to 150 participants on weekends.

Despite the city's enforcement of vending laws requiring permits for commercial activities on public land, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that yoga falls under freedom of expression.

The city of San Diego had renewed its vending laws, classifying yoga under the category of vending, which led to the issuance of tickets to instructors like Hubbard. However, the court's decision emphasized that yoga is a form of expression protected by the First Amendment.

Although the yoga classes are officially free, participants are encouraged to make donations. This aspect led some to view the activity as a for-profit business conducted on public land, a perspective not shared by the court.

The ruling potentially opens the door for others to conduct similar oceanfront classes without the need for special permits, as long as they can argue that their activities are a form of expression.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by KSWB. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by KSWB staff before being published.