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The Yoga Series
Hatha Yoga
1904. What is Hatha Yoga? Yogis' regard for the physical body; Work of the divine Architect; Our friend, the vital force; Laboratory of the body; life fluid; Crematory of the system; Nourishment; Hunger vs. appetite; Prana absorption from food; About food; Irrigation of the body; Ashes of the system; Yogi breathing; Effect of correct breathing; Breathing exercises; Nostril breathing vs. mouth breathing; Little lives of the body; Control of the involuntary system; Pranic energy; Science of relaxation; Use of physical exercise; Yogi bath; Solar energy; Fresh air; Nature's sweet restorer, sleep; Regeneration; Mental attitude; Led by Spirit. This book has practical and excellent suggestions for promoting health in the body.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1904
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208 people want to read
About the author
William Walker Atkinson
2,492 books399 followersPseudonyms: Theron Q. Dumont, Yogi Ramacharaka, Swami Bhakta Vishita & Swami Panchadasi
William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 – November 22, 1932) was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement. He is also known to have been the author of the pseudonymous works attributed to Theron Q. Dumont, Swami Panchadasi and Yogi Ramacharaka and others.
Due in part to Atkinson's intense personal secrecy and extensive use of pseudonyms, he is now largely forgotten, despite having obtained mention in past editions of Who's Who in America, Religious Leaders of America, and several similar publications—and having written more than 100 books in the last 30 years of his life. His works have remained in print more or less continuously since 1900.
William Walker Atkinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1862, to William and Emma Atkinson. He began his working life as a grocer at 15 years old, probably helping his father. He married Margret Foster Black of Beverly, New Jersey, in October 1889, and they had two children. The first probably died young. The second later married and had two daughters.
Atkinson pursued a business career from 1882 onwards and in 1894 he was admitted as an attorney to the Bar of Pennsylvania. While he gained much material success in his profession as a lawyer, the stress and over-strain eventually took its toll, and during this time he experienced a complete physical and mental breakdown, and financial disaster. He looked for healing and in the late 1880s he found it with New Thought, later attributing the restoration of his health, mental vigor and material prosperity to the application of the principles of New Thought.
Some time after his healing, Atkinson began to write articles on the truths he felt he had discovered, which were then known as Mental Science. In 1889, an article by him entitled "A Mental Science Catechism," appeared in Charles Fillmore's new periodical, Modern Thought.
By the early 1890s Chicago had become a major centre for New Thought, mainly through the work of Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Atkinson decided to move there. Once in the city, he became an active promoter of the movement as an editor and author. He was responsible for publishing the magazines Suggestion (1900–1901), New Thought (1901–1905) and Advanced Thought (1906–1916).
In 1900 Atkinson worked as an associate editor of Suggestion, a New Thought Journal, and wrote his probable first book, Thought-Force in Business and Everyday Life, being a series of lessons in personal magnetism, psychic influence, thought-force, concentration, will-power, and practical mental science.
He then met Sydney Flower, a well-known New Thought publisher and businessman, and teamed up with him. In December, 1901 he assumed editorship of Flower's popular New Thought magazine, a post which he held until 1905. During these years he built for himself an enduring place in the hearts of its readers. Article after article flowed from his pen. Meanwhile he also founded his own Psychic Club and the so-called "Atkinson School of Mental Science". Both were located in the same building as Flower's Psychic Research and New Thought Publishing Company.
Atkinson was a past president of the International New Thought Alliance.
Throughout his subsequent career, Atkinson wrote and published under his own name and many pseudonyms. It is not known whether he ever acknowledged authorship of these pseudonymous works, but all of the supposedly independent authors whose writings are now credited to Atkinson were linked to one another by virtue of the fact that their works were released by a series of publishing houses with shared addresses and they also wrote for a series of magazines with a shared roster of authors. Atkinson was the editor of a
William Walker Atkinson (December 5, 1862 – November 22, 1932) was an attorney, merchant, publisher, and author, as well as an occultist and an American pioneer of the New Thought movement. He is also known to have been the author of the pseudonymous works attributed to Theron Q. Dumont, Swami Panchadasi and Yogi Ramacharaka and others.
Due in part to Atkinson's intense personal secrecy and extensive use of pseudonyms, he is now largely forgotten, despite having obtained mention in past editions of Who's Who in America, Religious Leaders of America, and several similar publications—and having written more than 100 books in the last 30 years of his life. His works have remained in print more or less continuously since 1900.
William Walker Atkinson was born in Baltimore, Maryland on December 5, 1862, to William and Emma Atkinson. He began his working life as a grocer at 15 years old, probably helping his father. He married Margret Foster Black of Beverly, New Jersey, in October 1889, and they had two children. The first probably died young. The second later married and had two daughters.
Atkinson pursued a business career from 1882 onwards and in 1894 he was admitted as an attorney to the Bar of Pennsylvania. While he gained much material success in his profession as a lawyer, the stress and over-strain eventually took its toll, and during this time he experienced a complete physical and mental breakdown, and financial disaster. He looked for healing and in the late 1880s he found it with New Thought, later attributing the restoration of his health, mental vigor and material prosperity to the application of the principles of New Thought.
Some time after his healing, Atkinson began to write articles on the truths he felt he had discovered, which were then known as Mental Science. In 1889, an article by him entitled "A Mental Science Catechism," appeared in Charles Fillmore's new periodical, Modern Thought.
By the early 1890s Chicago had become a major centre for New Thought, mainly through the work of Emma Curtis Hopkins, and Atkinson decided to move there. Once in the city, he became an active promoter of the movement as an editor and author. He was responsible for publishing the magazines Suggestion (1900–1901), New Thought (1901–1905) and Advanced Thought (1906–1916).
In 1900 Atkinson worked as an associate editor of Suggestion, a New Thought Journal, and wrote his probable first book, Thought-Force in Business and Everyday Life, being a series of lessons in personal magnetism, psychic influence, thought-force, concentration, will-power, and practical mental science.
He then met Sydney Flower, a well-known New Thought publisher and businessman, and teamed up with him. In December, 1901 he assumed editorship of Flower's popular New Thought magazine, a post which he held until 1905. During these years he built for himself an enduring place in the hearts of its readers. Article after article flowed from his pen. Meanwhile he also founded his own Psychic Club and the so-called "Atkinson School of Mental Science". Both were located in the same building as Flower's Psychic Research and New Thought Publishing Company.
Atkinson was a past president of the International New Thought Alliance.
Throughout his subsequent career, Atkinson wrote and published under his own name and many pseudonyms. It is not known whether he ever acknowledged authorship of these pseudonymous works, but all of the supposedly independent authors whose writings are now credited to Atkinson were linked to one another by virtue of the fact that their works were released by a series of publishing houses with shared addresses and they also wrote for a series of magazines with a shared roster of authors. Atkinson was the editor of a
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
February 27, 2013
It's amazing how much this guy knew about stuff back in the day. Not much I can say about this book other than it made me consciously realize the importance of drinking water and paying attention to thirst.
August 1, 2012
common sense is not that common :)
October 22, 2012
Chapter 5, page 29 and 30 speak volumes to some very simple principles.
June 2, 2015
Difficult to read, but I like it!
February 9, 2018
I read this after reading 'The Science of Breathing' by the same author. Both books are full of useful information and ideas that can help one improve the quality of his or her well-being. There are many chapters in this book. It is very interesting to get a detailed description of many of the systems, functions of the body. I was pretty bored with my high school science classes, but this book makes it interesting and it is very practical.
This is really a textbook to refer to again and again. There are so many benefits to adopting even just a few of the principles in this book. Definitely recommended by me.
This is really a textbook to refer to again and again. There are so many benefits to adopting even just a few of the principles in this book. Definitely recommended by me.
October 3, 2025
Ho sempre pensato che l’Hatha Yoga fosse soltanto stretching o esercizi ginnici, e per questo non mi aveva mai attirato. Questo libro mi ha cambiato la prospettiva: solo un 10% parla di posizioni fisiche, mentre il resto affronta temi molto più ampi e profondi.
Tra gli argomenti che mi hanno colpito di più: la respirazione, l’alimentazione, il ruolo del tratto digestivo, la pace della mente, il vivere il momento presente e l’importanza dello stretching nella vita quotidiana.
Non ho intenzione di seguire corsi di Hatha Yoga, ma molte di queste riflessioni voglio provarle e portarle nella mia vita. 🌿✨
Tra gli argomenti che mi hanno colpito di più: la respirazione, l’alimentazione, il ruolo del tratto digestivo, la pace della mente, il vivere il momento presente e l’importanza dello stretching nella vita quotidiana.
Non ho intenzione di seguire corsi di Hatha Yoga, ma molte di queste riflessioni voglio provarle e portarle nella mia vita. 🌿✨
July 23, 2022
No me ha gustado la postura de este libro. Hay un tono de superioridad atacando siempre el estilo de vida occidental de una manera muy poco respetuosa.
Además, dice cosas muy falsas y sin sentido sobre la salud de cada uno casi culpando a una persona por enfermarse.
Bastante mal, la verdad.
Además, dice cosas muy falsas y sin sentido sobre la salud de cada uno casi culpando a una persona por enfermarse.
Bastante mal, la verdad.
January 31, 2017
I wanted to like this book so badly, I really did hope that it would be my guide or something like that in the future but I have to admit that I‘m quite disappointed after finishing it. What I liked about that book was the fact that there were tons of things which I already knew as the authors promised at the beginning and yet I learned a few new interesting or at least educational facts. What I found terrible was the structure of the book or let‘s face it – its absence and the authors’ style of writing. There were some things which in my opinion should‘ve been introduced a lot earlier and it felt like the authors were repeatedly interrupting themselves and therefore the readers so one could not simply follow the flow of thought. Furthermore, I think one of the most important aspects of Hatha yoga is the concept of prana so I was kind of surprised that it was placed in the second part of the book. I mean, yeah, the authors say a few words about prana in almost every chapter but the whole concept in detail is missing at first. Also the assuring that the authors didn’t wanna change the readers' worldviews or whatsoever were quite irritating while they kind of constantly required that we did what they said. Besides, the continuous repeating of the same facts was totally annoying.
October 5, 2019
it is good to read and clear many doubt and teaches also
Read
July 4, 2017I felt completely tricked by this book. I did not realize this was written by a Euro-American because of the author's misleading pseudonym Yogi Ramacharaka. I was hoping for a book that would deepen my knowledge of yoga philosophy and practice but got a very basic book with A LOT of filler. The most intriguing aspect was that the author was so far ahead of the yoga craze- he wrote the book in 1904! I think this could be extremely illuminating for Westerners in that time period but now we have much more access to other authors who site the lineage of their yoga practice and the sources, where this book hides behind a fake name for its authenticity and makes no reference to sources.
PS- I found the following quote to have a parable quality from page 53: "It is not what a man eats, but the amount that he assimilates, that nourishes him."
PS- I found the following quote to have a parable quality from page 53: "It is not what a man eats, but the amount that he assimilates, that nourishes him."
December 18, 2017
As always these yogi teachings are great, I learned a lot about optimal health in such simple principles, everybody should read this.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews