Sacramento yoga studio restarts indoor classes in defiance of COVID-19 health order

Zuda Yoga studio in midtown Sacramento is offering indoor classes in defiance of a Sacramento County public health order closing indoor operations at gyms and fitness centers.

On Friday, about 15 people arrived at the studio on 19th Street for an in-person, indoor class at noon. While some wore masks up to the front door, others entered maskless. The class was advertised on the Zuda Beyond Instagram account.

The Zuda app, which can be used to book classes, shows other classes, several a day, on the schedule.

In-person classes are banned by Sacramento County’s most recent public health order, which says gyms and fitness centers are only permitted for outdoor activities.

The owners of the studio declined requests by phone and email for comment. Anne Marie Kramer and Chris Cuevas, co-owners of Zuda Yoga, both exited the studio without masks and declined to speak with The Sacramento Bee.

“We’re not interested in talking. Thank you,” Kramer said.

Dan Pellissier of Sacramento was one of the first participants to enter the studio. Pellissier has been doing yoga at Zuda Yoga for a long time, but has only recently restarted when the studio opened for in-person classes this week. He believes social distancing precautions in the studio allow for safe exercise, which he believes is less of a health risk than no exercise at all.

Pellissier said the classes are taking place with 10 to 12 people in a room that normally fits 70, allowing for distancing between the attendees. Fourteen people were observed entering the studio Friday, in addition to several people already inside.

The class took place in a curtained-off, glass-paned room that didn’t allow for observation. Pellissier said participants take off masks in the studio, but some were observed removing masks immediately upon entering the lobby.

An email from Zuda Yoga sent to clients announced the studio’s reopening Tuesday, citing “no evidence that gyms and fitness centers are contributing to the spread of covid-19” and that they believe “a healthy body and mind is a priority.”

Kramer’s Facebook account includes a post featuring Del Bigtree, a prominent figure in the anti-vaccination movement.

This story was originally published September 11, 2020 at 3:02 PM.