Miriam Kasin discusses her life as an author, Ayurvedic cook, and artist, as well as her time studying with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Founder of the Transcendental Meditation program and Maharishi AyurVeda^®. She reflects on how his guidance helped shape her cookbooks, which were designed to nourish people around the world with the wisdom of Ayurvedic cooking in its recognition of the balancing effects of foods for different body types.

Miriam Kasin learned the TM technique in 1970 and became a teacher of TM in 1973. From 1974 to 1976, she served as secretary for the Maharishi Vedic Science courses led by Maharishi in Switzerland and France. Between 1973 and 2019, she taught the TM technique in the Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States.

Miriam Kasin discusses her life as an author, Ayurvedic cook, and artist, as well as her time studying with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Founder of the Transcendental Meditation program and Maharishi AyurVeda.

During her time in Europe with Maharishi, Ms. Kasin refined many of the dishes served in the TM community, which became the foundation for The Age of Enlightenment Cookbook, her first vegetarian cookbook. Her interest in Ayurvedic cooking deepened when she worked as a chef in Maharishi Nagar, India, in 1986 and 1987, collaborating closely with Maharishi and Ayurvedic physicians as they revived and applied traditional Ayurvedic principles to modern life. After returning to the United States, she directed an Ayurvedic clinic in Missouri and later worked at the Ayurvedic clinic in Pacific Palisades, California, where she wrote the Ayurvedic cookbook Heaven’s Banquet.

The author of four published books, Ms. Kasin now lives in Berkeley, California, where she grew up. She holds a BA in art history from Oakland University in Michigan and a BFA in illustration from the California College of the Arts in Oakland. She also studied Tibetan thangka painting with Pema Wangyal of Dolpo, a third-generation artist and priest. She continues to paint and exhibit her work, write, and share her knowledge of Ayurveda and Transcendental Meditation.

Christine Albers, host of TM Talks, interviewed Miriam Kasin. This interview was aired on December 14, 2025.