Meet Erin Ayres of MOSAIC in Golden Hill

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erin Ayres.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was born in 1983 in Coronado, California, a popular tourist destination across the bay from downtown San Diego. Although I was raised in an affluent neighborhood, the story of my early childhood is very atypical when compared to the lives of most of my friends and peers growing up. For details about the struggles of my early years please refer to the next question below, but for the time being, I will focus on my adult years.

Like many young adults, I was not sure what I wanted to do, so I took the common path and went to college where I got a BA from San Diego State University in Liberal Studies. I hoped to become a teacher and work in child development. During school, I worked as a nanny, helping to raise some great kids. Teaching was always an attractive option to me, but I was not cut out for the K-12 system. I have great respect for today’s teachers and understand the difficulties they face every day in and out of the classroom, but that path was not for me.

At twenty-five, I found myself adrift believing I wanted to teach, but still unsure what kind of teacher I wanted to be. At this pivotal moment, I discovered yoga, a new path for me and a new calling. Following a brief period of practicing and studying yoga at various studios, I made my way to MOSAIC Yoga and went through their Yoga Teacher Training program and was offered the opportunity to teach. Over the next five years, I established a following at the studio and took on a broad range of classes: from Yin Yoga to Power Vinyasa. I knew I’d found my true path.

One thing that I strive for in all of my classes is to deliver a completely original sequence every week. I have found it useful to connect those sequences to themes related to my personal struggles at that moment, which I have been told makes me and my classes relatable. Thanks now to my years of teaching, I feel empowered, and for the first time in my life, the future is wide open and anything is possible…but my life was not always set on such a hopeful and optimistic path.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My main issues growing up were that I felt trapped, stripped of power, or pressured to avoid identifying and pursuing my own strengths. Let me take these in order. First, without a doubt, the greatest challenge of my life and one thing that makes my story unique, is that I had to take care of my mother who is completely paralyzed with M.S. To be only seven years old and to have to help lift your mother up and out of bed, into a car, to help feed her, and all the other unmentionable things associated with daily life, was extremely difficult. Furthermore, the situation with my mother made it challenging to have a normal childhood, to have dinner prepared for you, clean clothes folded in drawers, cheerleader in the stands, etc. It is important to mention, that I do not regret the situation with my mom, because it taught me the value of service and also the truth that we learn a great deal from our own struggles.

Another challenge in my life, one that is all too common, was my encounter with sexual abuse. Like many women today, this encounter left me scarred in certain ways. Well into my twenties, I never acknowledged this invasion; I felt embarrassed and indecent to ever talk about it again. But, that too, would change. This gave me an early window into the dangers of power and just how easy it is to abuse situations where there is an uneven power dynamic. As we become stronger, physically, financially or professionally, we run the risk of becoming emboldened by unhealthy decisions. This is why yoga has also been so valuable because once again, it provides an ethical framework to help a person properly wield power as it grows within her.

Lastly, after being in a relationship for nearly ten years and expecting to get married and have kids, I found myself left alone again and single. Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Women are like teabags. You don’t know how strong they are until you put them in hot water.” This was my chance to step into my strength. I had to rebuild my life and yoga would help me do that. Yoga burst into my life like a thunderstorm and re-energized me, giving me both purpose and empowerment.

So, as you know, we’re impressed with MOSAIC – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
I am one of the teachers at MOSAIC. MOSAIC has some of the greatest teachers in all of San Diego. It’s not just their skill that makes them great, but their passion for teaching.

Our mission is to awaken and uplift the consciousness of human beings and thus, the world, one Soul at a time. Are you looking for “something more?”

So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Well, I am now a mother. Now that I have come full circle, I have been able to transform earlier stumbling blocks into stepping stones for me and my daughter. Unlike thirty years ago, I am able to provide a balanced, healthy and happy life for my family, which brings me genuine purpose and great joy. My path has had many twists and turns, and a lot of stops and starts. But at the heart of it has always been the search for an honest and purposeful life.

Pricing:

• 2 weeks for $25 (new students only)

Image Credit:
Elizabeth Cavagnaro

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