The sun sets through the window of Popflow (formerly Yoga on C, at C Avenue and Second Street), and I arch between a cat/cow pose during the Flow: All Level Class. As someone who hasn’t been to yoga in a number of years, it feels like I’ve never taken a break. During this evening class, the instructor and operations director, Bill Hughes, led with focus, lightness, and a soothing voice.
“The studio is really a place for everyone, and we have classes for all levels,” Hughes says. “Walking into a place for the first time can create anxiety. Just to show up and come. The instructors are going to greet you, and we make sure people feel comfortable. It’s really about getting started. No one’s going to be looking at you. No one’s going to be judging you. This class is for you.”
“We are so happy everyone’s here,” adds Erin Ayres, instructor, owner, and creative director. “They’re doing something for themselves, trying something new, which can be overwhelming. I can promise you that we’re not like some other studios where there are cliques and people keep to themselves. It’s the complete opposite. I’m not even a super gregarious person myself, but there’s just a natural energy created there, whether it’s the light, the windows, the openness, Maple (the studio goldendoodle), or the teacher.”
Multi-Generational Practicing
Yoga is for everyone, and that is evident at Popflow. One of Ayres first Yoga on C members is a working mom with three kids. First it was just the mom, then she brought her daugher who was about 13 at the time, then her other daughter, and eventually her husband and son too. “Watching how this community has helped shape her, and how she’s helped shape it right back, has been something,” said Ayres. “She showed that a whole family can come in and practice together, and her daughters were some of the first younger kids at the studio, which inspired other families to think, ‘Oh, I can come do yoga with my daughter too.’” The studio has welcomed people as young as eleven to those in their 80s.
A personal note: the author of this article attended some of Erin’s classes with her parents and grandparents. Her grandfather has since passed away, but the memories of their yoga sessions together continue to be cherished.
Erin’s story: From teenager to Popflow business owner
“I found my love for movement in my teens,” Ayres shares. Although at the time she didn’t know where that love would flourish. “I was never a good runner. I played softball and wasn’t good at it. Then, I played soccer and wasn’t good at that either. It’s not that I’m good at yoga — it’s that there’s no competition in it, just this total, honest passion and love of movement. It’s always brought me a sense of peace. My stepmom, who I lost in January, brought me to yoga, and she always told me the constant in your life will always be your yoga mat. That has not left me.”
After a decade of teaching yoga on and off island, an opportunity arose for Ayres to create her own space. “I heard about a space opening up in Coronado, this old building on C and Second that was being renovated, with residential on top and a business on the bottom. I had such a passion for what Core Power had built — the way they combined yoga and strength, Yin yoga, restorative classes, all the different levels, plus strength training. While I loved that combination, I felt like Coronado was missing that link. Coronado already had yoga studios, but the closest Core Power was Point Loma or North Park.”
The bumpy road to Popflow
While Ayres announced that she would open the studio in 2019, hurdle after hurdle came up.
CHS Grad Erin Ayres to Open “Yoga on C” in 2019
“Permits are really tough,” she explained. “ADA compliance is hard, and SDG&E is often hard too. We’d keep getting close to a green light, and then an inspector would come in and say, ‘No, the wiring’s not right,’ and we’d have to go back and fix it. It was such a headache. I kept telling myself, ‘We’re almost there, we’re almost there.’ That was really gnarly. And then, right as we finally got the green light, COVID hit California.”
Gyms Embrace Outdoor Workouts During Coronavirus Pandemic
Of that time period, Ayres says, “I watched other gyms go under, including the studio that basically raised me. A lot of studios did. I honestly couldn’t tell you exactly how I stayed open. I had support, I had loyal people, and I think my low overhead — since it was just me — is what saved me. Pretty much everybody lasted in Coronado. The community rallied and wanted to keep us open, and I’m forever grateful for that, because that support is why we’re here today.”
Opening B Street Yoga in Golden Hill
In January 2025, Ayres opened B Street Yoga in Golden Hill. “I called it B Street because Yoga on C was named for its street. Golden Hill felt symbolic to me because it’s the area connected to the studio where I got let go. I had such a love for that community, and going there again felt like going home.” She adds, “I have no idea how Bill found the location; commercial spaces are rare in Golden Hill. We found this tiny building, over a hundred years old — we think it used to be an old garage for car maintenance, because it has these gorgeous accordion garage doors. I’d saved money over the years Yoga on C had been open, and Bill said he thought we should do it. We renovated B Street and opened about a year and a half ago.”
It wasn’t long before the challenges of two studios became apparent. Ayres says they felt disjointed, like they weren’t related; and a lot of people didn’t realize they were. That’s when they decided they needed to build a real brand.
A true brand was new territory. “With Yoga on C, I’d never really had [a brand]. I just wanted to pay the bills. I was a single mom, and I wanted to train and teach. But I knew I wasn’t challenging myself enough, wasn’t pushing the boundaries.” She credits Hughes for helping her outside her comfort zone. “Bill said, ‘You could build something really great. You have a community that trusts you and rallies around you. You need to go for this. I believe in you.’ He’s the one who pushed to create a brand.”
Branding Popflow
Ayres and Hughes took their time brainstorming the new name for Yoga on C and Yoga on B to create a cohesive brand. After a few months, it clicked. “I thought of pop like hit or jumping or even my personality. I can pop off a little bit. I’m kind of edgy,” says Ayres. “Then ‘flow’, obviously, for yoga and the flow of life.” Hughes adds, “We didn’t want it to just be ‘yoga,’ because that limits what we actually do. Sculpt had always been a big part of the studio, but because Pilates had become such a big part of things too, it made sense to move away from a name with ‘yoga’ in it. That’s another reason for Popflow.”
Ayres admits the rebrand was hard. “It was kind of awful. It’s so much work rebranding your business, changing everything, and getting the community on board too, because nobody really likes change. But everybody was supportive. Now we’re opening a third studio.”
As she opens a third location, Ayres stays true to the foundation of her yoga teaching. “My non-negotiable is to stay true to yourself. Maybe it’s a little cliché, but whether you’re a teacher at Popflow, someone brand new, or one of my OGs, you’re in this space to be yourself. Celebrate yourself, and know you’ll be supported regardless of what you bring that day. That’s the essence of the yoga, and it’s not going to change.”
Stay connected to Popflow on Instagram and to learn more about the upcoming third location.
