Snow. There are still mountains of dirty, dark snow melting in abandoned lots outside of Boston. Still melting. Snow. In July.
In February as the Northeast and Midwest were going through an epic snow-covered winter, San Diego was actually having a heat wave.
“Hey, it’s wicked cold here, what’s the weather there?” asked your friend living in the Northeast.
“It’s 75 and sunny,” you replied. “It’s always 75 and sunny.” It makes a perfect mantra as you meditate after your morning yoga session overlooking Crystal Pier from Palisades Park: “75 and sunny, om, 75 and sunny, om, 75 and sunny, ommm.”
However you got here – born into it, emigrated or immigrated – its a powerful place on the senses. Life here was not meant to be indoors. The scenery, the weather, the people – San Diego is all about being out and about with bikes, boats and bikinis.
“When I got here I could not believe places like this existed,” said Helen Gerasimchuk, “where you could live outside all the time.”
Gerasimchuk, a recent transplant from the Northeast who moved here three months ago, visited San Diego in March and then promptly picked up and moved. “I went back to Boston and packed my things,” she said. “I was living the office life – in a cubicle – and I could not handle it.”
Gerasimchuk, who is certified as a group fitness instructor, now lives in Pacific Beach and runs a bootcamp 9:30 a.m. every Saturday at Crown Point Park.
“I think being outdoors is invaluable,” she said. “You can’t put a price on it. When you’re running outside and you breathe fresh air next to the water and then the bright sun naturally makes you happy – that’s the reason I’m here.”
That’s the reason San Diego exists. That’s the reason we’re all here.
“There’s definitely an element of wow every day. It’s amazing,” said Sarah Dymond, yoga instructor and co-owner of San Diego Paddle Yoga in Mission Bay.
“We love being outside on the water getting sandy and salty every day. We have the natural resources so why not use them,” said Dymond, who moved here from Baltimore eight years ago. “When I’m teaching a class, there’s always a moment when I take a minute and sit back and say ‘Oh my gosh, this is amazing. I can’t believe this is my job. It’s so beautiful.’”
From the bay side to on the bay to overlooking the beach, the opportunities for the weekend warriors – or just weekend warrior poses – are endless, especially on the coast.
Saturday and Sunday mornings hundreds of people join Steve Hubbard for a 90-minute yoga session in Palisades Park above the Law Street beach to clear their minds and feel the energy of the ocean. Yoga mats and water bottles cover the grass as people from all walks of life and all levels of yoga stretch and reach to the skies.
“The whole intention of it was to make this practice, which is so healthy and promotes so much good stuff, accessible to everybody and have a community class for anybody to join,” Hubbard said. “It gets people out and in touch with nature a little more.”
And people from east, south and north county come to one of the most beautiful spots in Pacific Beach to find peace and relaxation after a stressful work week.
“One of the things I think people kind of forget is that by big bodies of water like this, the negative ions in the air are increased, and the negative ions enhance your mood, stimulate your senses – they do a lot of healthy stuff,” Hubbard said. “To practice yoga next to this body of water, and be a part of the beauty of nature all around you, it’s really something pretty special.” Bootcamp
Where: 9:30 a.m. Saturdays at Crown Point Park, meet at the basketball courts.
Contact: Helene Gerasimchuk at
[email protected] San Diego Paddle Yoga
Where: Mission Bay Sportcenter, 1010 Santa Clara Place. Classes are available throughout the week. Contact: Sarah Dymond at
[email protected] Yoga at Palisades Park
Where: 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays at Palisades Park in PB. Contact: Steve Hubbard at
www.namasteveyoga.com.