Doctor M.W. Lewis: The Life Story of One of the Earliest American Disciples of Paramahansa Yogananda Self-Realization Fellowship

Martin William Lewis met Paramahansa Yogananda in 1920s Boston and became one of his first American students — a dentist-turned-disciple who helped build the foundations of Self-Realization Fellowship in the West. This biography traces Lewis's journey from skeptical professional to devoted teacher of Kriya Yoga, documenting his decades of service, his role in establishing meditation centers across America, and his relationships with fellow disciples during the formative years of yogic practice in the United States. Written with access to SRF archives, it captures the quiet dedication of a man who traded conventional success for spiritual practice, offering an intimate look at what it meant to be an early Western student of Eastern philosophy. For anyone curious about the roots of yoga in America or the personal cost of choosing an unconventional path.