Featured Partner Awaken Yoga Center
Awaken Yoga Center is the HOSTING YOGA STUDIO SPONSOR of the Festival.
“At Awaken Yoga Center - Sunken Gardens,” we deliver yoga technologies that enable individuals to personally experience peace, health and vitality, and strengthen their relationship with God, the Divine or themselves," says Ram Gian, Awaken’s Kundalini Yoga and Meditation Instructor.
"The benefits of what we offer our practitioners are: practical and highly affordable instruction in enhancing physical, mental and spiritual well-being."
We offer Hatha - Vinyasa Flow and Kundalini Classes in the Gardens Monday thru Thursday 10:00 am to 11:30 am; Saturdays 11:00 am to 12:15 pm and Sundays noon to 1:15 pm.
Evening classes (with child care available - 24 hrs notice required, $8 per child per class) are also offered Monday and Wednesday evenings 6:00 to 7:15 pm. Visit the Awaken Yoga Center SITE for more information and to learn about "The Home of the $3 Yoga class!"
What is Awaken Yoga Center known for?
We are known for our spiritual ecumenism and universalism; our community service and our spiritual workshops, retreats and concerts for devotees of all faiths. We also offer two (2) Yoga Ministries through our Parent Company, GottaGettaGuru.com, which is a division of DMC, Inc. a corporate entity that makes this work possible, and a Yoga Festival!
- To learn more about our mission, please visit: www.GottaGettaGuru.com/blog/about/mission
- We conduct a Yoga Ministry for Terminally Ill Children (free of charge) at All Children’s Hospital and on an out-patient basis.
- We conduct a Karma Kitchen Yoga Seva (selfless service) – a project of Mata Amritanandamayi Devi (Amma)-- helping feed the needy of Tampa Bay, in conjunction with UU St. Pete.
- We are also the co-founders of the St Pete Yoga Festival with Sunken Gardens.
FREE YOGA CLASS!
At Awaken Yoga Center - Sunken Gardens your first class is always FREE if you mention the website or one of our ads on Facebook, Google or were referred by a fellow student. So, bring a friend and give us a try!
And don't worry, if it is RAINING we move to a beautiful space INSIDE!
If you'd like more information, think you'd enjoy a private class in the Gardens or elsewhere or just want to chat about one of our events or Yoga Ministries, please give us a call at (727) 954-4559 or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Pamela Dillon (Vandana)
Founder, Lead Yoga Teacher (Hatha) Awaken Yoga Centers of St. Petersburg at Sunken Gardens, IAM Meditation Teacher
Vandana – (Pamela Dillon) Although I have been practicing yoga since 1999 (Jivamukti, Integral, Bikram and Ashtanga) my spiritual journey really began in the fall of 2007. Inspired by Di Tyssen, founder of ADIAYA Yoga Sanctuary, during a weekend yoga workshop which included an introduction to the book Autobiography of a Yogi, by Paramahansa Yogananda (a Yogi mainly responsible for bringing the ancient science of yoga to the Western World), I began my intense study of the philosophy of yoga.
My philosophy teacher, Dave Druz, became a mentor and a friend who supported me along my way, sharing in my new-found passion for the ancient science of yoga. Within weeks of completing the philosophy course I traveled to meet Mata Amritanandamayi, an Indian Master, known as the “hugging saint,” at one of her retreats in the U.S. Amma, (as she is known by her pupils), lives her life as an incomparable example of the nature of selfless, unconditional love. I was immediately taken with her and asked her to be my Guru/Spiritual Master.
James Dillon (Ram Gian)
Awaken Yoga Centers of St. Petersburg, Sunken Gardens - Kundalini Yoga Teacher (as taught by Yogi Bhajan) , Breathwalk Meditation Teacher; Founder: GottaGettaGuru.com™
Ram Gian, a life-long student of comparative religion and spirituality, is a Kundalini Yoga Instructor in the school of Kundalini Yoga as taught by Yogi Bhajan™ (from which he has received his spiritual teacher name, Ram Gian, which means: “He who embodies the wisdom of God, is the song of God and sings God’s praises.”).
He has also received Self-Realization Fellowship training based on the teachings of Paramahansa Yogananda, through SRF in California; serves the congregation of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Saint Petersburg as Chairman of the Worship Committee, and had, prior to his yogic training, received initiation and training in Transcendental Meditation™ as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.
He attributes his spiritual awakening (a gradual and ongoing process!) to having explored ALL of these paths, then taking action.
Thank you.
Namaste!