What is “Harmony” in the Home? It’s at the heart of your own sacred space, its Vastu Shastra

armony is what makes the difference between a house and a home. It speaks to the way our environment shapes our lives and how the design of a personal space impacts our psyche and our ability to feel safe and secure. “Home” is where the heart is because our quality of life is directly connected to living from our center, or our core. When we surround ourselves with the colors, sounds, furnishings and images that resonate with our heart’s fire, we feel more alive. In a sense, we feel our own vitality and individuality reflected back to us. What better way to love yourself than to design for your heart and for the center of your life and family?

Vastu Shastra is an ancient, holistic concept of architecture and interior design, whose principles are also found in Feng Shui, although Vastu is much older. It’s rooted in both a spiritual and scientific design system from India's Vedic traditions. Essentially, it is based on the ancient Indian science of placement according to nature's laws and rhythms. The timeless principles of Vastu are meaningful to people of all cultures and are as relevant and effective today as they were in the days of antiquity.

Vastu offers guidelines on how to create a supportive environment that brings forth your inner potential and allows a greater sense of Self and creativity to flourish within a space. We all know what it feels like to be in a depressing atmosphere or in an oppressive environment. Unfortunately, we also know how it feels to be surrounded with those who are false and do not have your best interest at heart. “Design” in the sense of Vastu, is as much about finding the right aesthetic fit as it is finding a “space” where we are nourished, encouraged and believed in by others. To coin a phrase that’s become a bit of a cliché, we reach our potential when we are fed; mind body and spirit, all of which dwell in the home. Vastu is a philosophy that recognizes our ability to work consciously with natural elements to pave a better way of life filled with harmony, health, contentment and prosperity.

It is possible to view the home as a metaphor for our inner being. It is the sacred space where our souls reside, find shelter from the chaos and rejuvenate. In this way, we acknowledge the relatedness of our surroundings with our unique beliefs, desires and personality. Our home speaks volumes about who we are as individuals and families - be they disheveled, dysfunctional, peaceful or invigorating, they reveal an insight about our state of being. Vastu design recognizes five elements of creation that enhance this vital flow of pr ana, or life-force energy, within a given structure or space. By honoring the laws of nature in our environments, we demonstrate a reverence for creation as well as our own individuality. The five elements of earth, air, fire, water, and space are energetically linked with particular directions. Earth, humid, is associated with the southwest; air, vary, northwest; fire, agnail, southeast; and water, jalap, northeast. Space, kasha, is the use of open space at the center of both the architectural and design forms in each room. By working with the elements and directions, we find that there are ideal placements of furniture, color and other sensory items to support our capacity to sleep, to tap our unique creativity, our sense of abundance, and even our health and well being.

Vastu stems from the same tradition as yoga, meditation, Ayurveda, and Vedic astrology. All of these practices unite the physical and spiritual worlds by focusing a collaborative use of the body, mind and spirit as it experiences the physical world. We might even say that Vastu is the yoga of design and in fact, I was led to it by way of a beautiful yogi named Soni, whose family traditions trained her in these practices from a very young age.

Vastu Shastra Consulting for Harmony

• Furniture layout and arrangement for better energy flow (known as Chi) and alignment with ancient wisdom traditions
• Organization & storage solution specification
• Color, fabric and lighting selection for specific needs; enhancing prosperity, health, wealth, creativity.
• Art selection to inspire individual creativity
• Accessory selection utilizing five elements and the masculine feminine principals of yin and yang
• Real estate open house preparation