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QaR
November 2009 
The threads become a fabric
Posted on Aug 10th, 2008
by 
*Ladybear~
*Ladybear~
In early 1972 I was brought to my first Yoga teacher.
His name was Swami Rudi and to get to his ashram
I was first brought to him at his store, RUDI ORIENTAL ART.
It was on the lower east side of New York's Greenwich Village.
Rudi allowed me to attended his birthday party that night
and it was there that I was initiated by him into Kundalini Yoga.
From that night on my life changed. I knew I was Awakened.
Rudi Movie: Montage
DIRECT LINK
Rudi was a true New Yorker. AKA Swami Rudrananda.
He use to sit on his chair at the back of the art store,
with his mother there sitting close by watching.
When you walked in, you had to walk up the long aisle to him in the back.
Watching him watch you as you passed all, & I mean thousands of pieces,
of Oriental art objects straight out of temples and shrines.
The energy was pure power.
Lifesized Buddha's & Flying Garuda's
Shiva's, Krishna's, Mahakala's & all sorts of protectors of the dharma.
It was quite intimidating for a hippie chick, a novice spiritual babe from New Jersey.
You could not go to the house without meeting him at the store first & getting his
approval to accept you as a student.
I didn't realize that was what was happening to me at the time,
but the night of his birthday party, I found that out!
The first time I went to his house we all stood in a circle.
Rudi was meeting with people up in his room.
If I remember correctly, this was before I was called upstairs.
During the circle of about 25 people, every now and then
someone would fall face first to the floor.
I was startled & my first reaction was to pick them up & see if they were OK.
I didn't know they were having a Kundalini shakti flattening them to the floor!
Bubba Free John was also a student of Rudi's.
I went back many many times for the yoga group meetings and teachings.
I'd stop in to see Rudi at the store during the day if I was running around
Greenwich Village.
Being accepted by Rudi linked me to his lineage.
From Nityananda to Muktananda, whom I spent some time with also,
but that's another story.
This video shows Baba Muktananda visiting Rudi's ashram in upstate NY
Baba Muktananda in America 1970
DIRECT LINK
On Feb. 21, 1973 Rudi died in a small plane crash in the Catskills.
He was dictating a journal entry, and his last words were,
"...a deeper sense of surrender".
We were also linked through one of the most important teachers in
New York at the time
HILDA CHARLTON.
Hilda held a wonderful satsang at St. Luke's Church in Greenwich Village weekly.
Sometimes Ram Dass would show up with his singers Amazing Grace
& the room was always filled with wonder & mysterious things happening.
One time after a few hours of singing bhajans, we were all mediating and Hilda saw
Maharaji in the room with us. When we opened our eyes, we all had pieces of
Maharaji's blanket surrounding us. Little pieces of fluffy fabric were all over the floor.
I still have mine in my Bhakti Book!
neem-karoli-print-th
I've been blessed to have lived in a time of AWAKENING.
So many of us came out of the 60's into a spiritual life,
while others stayed in drugs or alcohol & perished.
I have been blessed to be with many of the power house teachers.
For this I am very grateful.
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