Vastu Shastra
The ancient science of creating healing spaces
Achieving a state of balance and harmony is the goal of all ancient Vedic healing sciences like Yoga, Ayurveda, Jyotish & Vastu Shastra.
Vastu Shastra (Sanskrit: “science of architecture” or lit. “enlightened literature of energy manifestation”) is possibly the oldest architectural doctrine known in the world today. Estimated by scholars to have developed from oral tradition some time before 6000 BCE, it is the mother of all sacred architecture. Vastu’s design principles were incorporated in the most beautiful temples, palaces and sites in India and around the world that we today appreciate for their ability to uplift the human spirit.
Vastu is a highly evolved system of ancient knowledge that aims to improve the human condition by aligning their buildings with the supportive universal forces and healing energies of nature.
Feng Shui & Vastu
The same root
Feng Shui and Vastu in their true traditional application are closely related. In fact, the former is suppose to have derived from the latter, the reason why they still share some basic similarities:
- Both are ancient spatial sciences that promote harmony between people and their environment
- Both have a metaphysical approach that sees beyond the material world
- Both focus on alignment to the cardinal directions and design symmetry in order to harmonise the energy of the spaces
- Both evaluate the ‘health / energy quality’ of a space depending on the amount and flow of Prana or Qi (Life-Force)
A pure Vastu building, however, is always designed and constructed from the ground up. Through the application of sacred dimensions and measurements, proper layout, incl. a sacred centre, the entire building will set off a vibration of positive energy right from the start.
“Vastu is the science of manifesting
energy into matter or material form.”
Dr. V. Ganapati Sthapati
Understanding Vastu = Understanding Energy
The ancient Rishis (sages) of India knew that we all bathe in almost unlimited energy which they called SPACE and honoured as the basis of all reality and creation.
Everything in the universe, animate or inanimate, is energy vibrating / resonating at various frequencies. Even a building, a room, furniture and objects, what we call matter, is merely energy in a lower vibrational state.
The vibrational frequency of a room, for example, determines the ‘energy quality’ it produces: positive, negative or neutral. When our body’s own energy blueprint (bio-field) comes into proximity of this space it will alway begin, after a little while, to resonate with it.
This is the reason why we feel so good in nature. Nature’s harmonic frequencies are natural to us, and there is absolutely no need of any part of our being to compensate or override those frequencies. We simply experience a state of balance and harmony that enables us to relax, revitalise and heal more effectively.
Vastu designed spaces benefit their occupants in the same way. If done properly, they will enter into resonance with the healing energies of nature instead of severing the occupants from them, like most conventional structures do.
The guidelines laid out in Vastu prescribe the most ideal design characteristics for sites, buildings and interior spaces in order to maximise positive energy and provide an unobstructed flow of Prana (Sanskrit: meaning “vital or life force energy”).
Vastu Architecture & Design Principles
The very basics
Vastu’s design principles can be applied to any building type, regional architectural and interior design style. They are not a belief or based on superstition, but incorporate scientific studies that take into account how the cosmic and terrestrial forces (energies) impact the physiological, psychological and spiritual well-being of humans. Those forces are:
The sun’s path & rays (it’s light & heat effects), – the earth’s tilt and rotation, – the earth’s electric, magnetic & gravitational forces, – the cosmic ‘pranic energy’, – climate conditions, – the energetic quality of the five basic elements of nature (ether, air, fire, water, earth), – nature’s geometry & symmetry.
Orientation (N, S, E, W)
Our earth is covered in a grid of energy lines flowing from true North to South & from East to West. They are a conduit for spreading the earth’s core energy outwards and absorb the cosmic energies. All advanced ancient civilisations built their structures aligned to this grid, creating a state of harmonic resonance. The cardinal directions also have beneficial and non-beneficial influences depending e.g. on climate factors such as sunlight or wind. Vastu considers all this, from the positioning & layout of rooms, to the facing & sleeping directions of the occupants.
Vastu Purusha Mandala
Once the proper orientation has been determined, the Vastu architect drafts an initial guide in the form of a square, on a 9 x 9 or 8 x 8 energy grid consisting of 81 or 64 modules (Padas). This grid is called the Purusha Mandala. When four walls enclose this space, the energy is pushed inwards making the space vibrate, it “becomes alive”. In Vastu, this process of creation is anthropo-morphised by a “Cosmic Being” (Purusha) coming to lie down on the land (the square), with his head into the NE, his elbows and knees spread into the NW & SE and his feet into the SW corners.
The Center (Brahmasthan)
This is the central module on the energy grid or the central space of a building structure. It is an extremely important area and generator of energy in Vastu. Traditionally, it was designed as an open-air or sky-lit court space or atrium that allowed the building to “breath” and for Prana, light and other positive energies to be attracted into and around the building. Nowadays, the central Brahmasthan is covered in most buildings but it should still be well lit, ideally with natural light via a skylight and kept relatively free of furniture in order not to obstruct the energy flow.
Ether, Air, Fire, Water, Earth
Those 5 elements are the building blocks of creation. Each has their specific quality and all need to be present for life to exist. If only one element is unbalanced, in nature or in our body, disharmony occurs, manifested via climate change or illness. In Vastu, the elements are firmly located in the four corners of a building: NE (Water), SE (Fire), SW (Earth), NW (Air) and Ether / Space (Center). Rooms are then distributed in resonance with the energy quality of the element. Example: SE (Fire) is cleansing and is best for a kitchen; SW (Earth) gives stability and is best for a master bedroom.
Geometrical Symmetry
In geometry, an object is defined as symmetrical, if it can be divided into two identical proportioned halves. Vastu favours symmetry, whether it is in the shape of a plot, a building, a room or in the arrangement of furniture. Architecturally, the square and rectangle with corners at a perfect 90 degrees angle are not only the most stable form but a representations of the ordered universe. Nature, in and of itself, creates and restores symmetry and balance. In Vastu designed buildings, geometrical regularity produces a regular flow of beneficial energies and Prana.
Entrance Door
Every time we enter or leave a house we activate the energy quality of the cardinal direction (N,E,S,W) the main door faces. This can be a beneficial or harmful energy depending on which area (pada) of the grid the main door is located. For instance, a beneficial (auspicious) door position in the North – padas 3,4,5 – can become the harbinger of good health and prosperity, whereas an inauspicious door position in the central part of South can bring in ill-health and financial loss. We also want nothing inauspicious to be in line with the main door on the inside or the outside.
Vastu for the Home
IDEAL ROOM LOCATIONS
BEDROOM:
- SW for master bedroom – the EARTH element offers stability for the head of the family; it also provides a peaceful and restful sleep
- People in the Northern hemisphere should sleep with the head towards the South (or East)
KITCHEN:
- SE – the FIRE element supports heat and technology related activities such as the preparation of food; the beneficial rays from the morning sun have healing properties
- Face east while cooking for enhanced creativity
LIVING ROOM:
- NW – the AIR element generates an energy of movement; great for entertaining guests and the flow of conversation (NW is also recommended for a guest bedroom or an office)
- NE – the WATER element produces a calmer and more contemplative energy (NE is also recommended for a study room or a place to meditate)
In Vastu we further analyse:
- Location of additional bedrooms beneficial for each family member
- Location of bathrooms & toilets
- Location of stairs, columns & beams
- Location & number of windows
- Interior & exterior colour scheme
- Materials
- Furniture placement & facing directions
- Interior decoration
- Clutter-free living
- The surrounding neighbourhood, roads, water bodies
- The plot of land: size, shape & slope
- Fencing & entrance gates
- Trees & plants
Vastu – Architecture
Build a new house
Living in a pure Vastu house can’t be explained – it needs to be experienced!
Only when a structure is build from the ground up in accordance with Vastu principles can it support the life of its occupants to the fullest.
An expert Vastu Architect possesses the training and knowledge required, including correct site selection, planning and building procedures, precise measurements and orientations, sacred geometry etc, in order to align a building with the universal energy matrix and thus bring health, harmony and abundance to those inhabiting it right from the start.
Should you be drawn to follow this exciting path, please get in contact with me. I am very happy to assist you in finding the right Vastu Architect.
Vastu – Consulting
Optimise existing spaces
My role as a Vastu Consultant is to analyse your existing home and provide you with practical recommendations on how to rebalance and redesign your personal spaces in a way that they will bring about positive changes in your life and that of your family.
There are many people who have experienced dramatic life changes, positive or negative, after moving into a new place. This is not a coincidence. Oftentimes, my clients are already intuitively aware of certain rooms in their house that simply do not feel “right” and where they don’t like to spend much time. Rooms themselves can have positive and negative spots that people are either drawn to or avoid.
In my consultations, I draw on a wide range of Vastu principles to determine whether certain areas inside and around your property have excess or deficiency of energy, energy blockages (an obstructed flow of prana) or any other Vastu defects. Remedying those defects will do much to improve your quality of living. The more harmonious and positive your living spaces are the more they will nourish your body, mind and soul.
Vastu remedies can be applied to any home environment. Whilst I will advise you on how to optimise your living spaces, including garden design, best room locations, interior design elements such as colour, materials, furniture placement etc., my ultimate goal is to create a beautiful, comfortable, loved and up-lifting home for you.
You will see. A Vastu Consultation is an immensely enriching process. It enhances your spatial awareness and your sensitivity to the subtle energies that are influencing you.
Vastu Shastra – Benefits
Improve your quality of life!
The more you are exposed to positive energy in your environment, the more support you will receive in making positive changes.
Vastu designed spaces vibrate with extremely positive energy and will uplift anyone who enters (in resonance with) them.
- Physically
By enhancing the overall functioning and regeneration of your body, your vitality and quality of sleep.
- Mentally
By improving your concentration skills, your ability to fully be in the present moment.
- Economically
By helping you work more productively and creatively, increasing the opportunities for generating abundance.
- Emotionally
By helping you enjoy life more, become more relaxed and resilient when dealing with stress.
- Spiritually
By enhancing connectedness to self, to others, to nature, or to something sacred and higher than yourself.
- Socially
By supporting you in forming mutually meaningful and valuable relationships.