9 Key Vastu Tips you need to know

Vastu is an important factor of bringing prosperity in house and many people have strong faith in it. Many Indian families look for Vastu aspects before buying a house or hire a Vastu consultant to check if the house is a good buy and lucky. Some architecture courses have Vastu as part of the course. Without going into more details on introduction, let me get into core Vastu tips which you can use yourself without spending alot to hire a consultant.

Understand the Directions first:

• Make sure you understand the key directions – East, West, North and South and then the sub-directions within these: North-East, North-West, South-East and South-West. Most of the Vastu Shastra is based on these directions. These days with everyone carrying smart phones it is not difficult to get the direction as compass app can be installed on any basic smart phone. You can use any simple compass app but make sure to align the phone properly on a stable surface. In some cases you need to move away from magnetic devices and move your phone in 8 direction to calibrate. Make sure you perform the calibration.

1. General principles:
   • The owner of the house should ideally retain the higher portion if he wants to rent out a portion of the house
   • More open space in North brings prosperity and happiness in the house
   • If the central room is at lower level in the house there will be lack of prosperity and quarrels and expenses will be high
   • Place a family photograph in a yellow or golden frame inthe South-West direction of the family room. This will strengthen the family bonds
2. Entrance: Entrance is preferred to be at the North or East or North-East. Many people get confused with Door facing North when coming out of house or going in the house.
   • Stand in the main entrance as if you are going “out” i.e. facing out. If you are facing North, your door is “North Facing” . So determine out of the 8 directions(4 main and 4 sub directions) which direction is your main door facing.
   • North and North-East are very good for the entrance. North-West is also not bad just that the male member of the house may be mostly on touring job/work and travelling.
   • With North or North-East entrance, try to remove the clutter, shoe racks and create more open and clean space. This is important to let the flow of clean and positive energy.
   • Sometimes the main entrance is at South-East or South and knowing it is not an ideal place for entrance but you still cannot change the house, we need to have a workaround. Adding an obstruction on the main entrance like a Neem tree(or any big tree) on the path(or near the south entrance way) or an elevated stairs is a good way to reduce the harmful effects. Reduce the open space in such cases.
   • A ‘Laughing Buddha’ in the entrance(Living Room), Kitchen or Garden is a good idea and brings positive energy
   • “Wind Chimes” in the entrance(outside) is considered lucky to bring wealth
3. Water Body: Water which we use in the house should not be flowing from South East. A well or pond in the south east is also not considered to be auspicious. It will eventually lead to owner catching diseases often incurable or requiring long healing process
4. Pooja or worship room:
   • The pooja or room for worship should be in North-East direction of the house.
   • If for some reason it is not possible the second option is to have it in the East or West direction.
   • Pooja room must be on the ground (or first as per North American nomenclature) floor – never in basement or under stairs.
   • Avoid Pooja in bedroom.
   • Never have Pooja room in the South.
   • Never keep dustbins in Pooja areas.
   • Never have photos of passed away family members in Pooja rooms
   • Never hide money or valuables in Pooja room
   • Never use broken idols in religious rooms
   • If you have a big house, it is ideal to have ‘Pooja room’ in the center
   • Always place idols few inches away from the wall. Have faith and bear in mind that a positive energy is flowing from these idols
   • If you have a choice, prefer light colors for the walls especially white, light blue or light yellowish
5. Wall clocks:
   • Simple but often ignored wall clocks should be placed on the North or East Wall and never on the South.
   • If the clock stops, get the cell replaced or the clock fixed  – never have stop clock in house. Also clock should be on time or a minute or two above time never behind
   • In general any machine item not working should not find a place in the house, sell it throw it or fix it.
6. Vastu symbol for wealth:
   • Flowing Water paintings bring wealth whereas flying birds or paintings depicting foreign currency reflect luck in career
   • A bamboo plant or a painting of thick forest or even ‘Money plant'(Epipremnum) in a green vase is believed to bring wealth
   • Fish Aquarium with active fishes in South-East direction of living room are also considered to bring stability in wealth and peace at home
   • Birds also bring wealth and prosperity. Bring a bird feeder for your backyard or balcony and fill it with grains and water
   • Use plants and orchids of purple color as they symbolize wealth
7. Kitchen:
   • Kitchen is an important part of the house and Vastu as it relates to fire element and food and health of the family
   • Kitchen in the North or North-East is a serious problem and if you are buying a house or building one, do take care of it. This can not only lead to financial loss but also mental tension
   •  Never have refrigerator in the North-East direction of the house. Preferred locations are South, South-East, South-West, North
   • Prefer facing East while cooking
8. Bedroom and Sleeping:
   • Many people have asked about sleeping directions, here are some tips to help
   • NEVER have Fish Aquariums in Bedrooms
   • If there is a mirror in the bedroom like a dressing table, make sure none of your body parts are visible in sleeping pose to avoid medical conditions
   • Sleeping with head in South increases prosperity and is the most preferred direction
   • Sleeping with head towards west increases name and fame
   • Do not sleep with head towards the North. This will lead to bad sleep, bad dreams and illness
   • Avoid clutter under the bed as the negativity pulls you down. Also the bed room should not be dark, prefer light color on the walls
9. Career and Job:
   • For study room, make sure that there is no broken furniture.
   • Your back should be towards the wall and avoid sitting under the beam
   • Face East or North while in business or job when you make decisions
   • Keep plants in South-East corner of your office. This will bring prosperity and money