What is Vastu Shastra ?
Vastu Shastra is often described as the yoga of the home.
Not because it is a trend or a belief system, but because it belongs to the same ancient Indian tradition that gave us yoga and Ayurveda.
In that tradition, well-being is never limited to the body alone. Yoga works through movement and breath. Ayurveda supports health through lifestyle and balance. Vastu Shastra completes this approach by looking at something we often forget: the spaces we live and work in.
We take care of our bodies. We try to calm our minds. Yet we spend most of our lives inside buildings that were rarely designed with our inner balance in mind. Vastu starts from a simple idea: our environment matters more than we think.
The science of dwelling
In Sanskrit, the word Vastu means “dwelling” or “place”, and Shastra means “knowledge” or “science”. Vastu Shastra can therefore be translated as the science of dwelling.
It takes its roots in the Vedas, ancient Indian texts, that describe, among other things, how to design and organize spaces in relationship with nature. These writings cover orientation, proportions, measurements, land preparation, circulation, and spatial geometry.
Rather than focusing on decoration or style, Vastu is interested in how a place functions on a deeper level. How light enters. How rooms relate to one another. How a building sits on its land. How space supports daily life.
Geometry plays an important role. Symmetry, proportions, and symbolic layouts — often expressed through mandalas or yantras — were traditionally used as planning tools. They helped architects create structures that felt coherent, grounded, and aligned with natural rhythms.
From sacred spaces to everyday homes
Originally, Vastu Shastra was applied to sacred architecture. Hindu temples were built on carefully chosen sites and according to precise spatial rules. These buildings were meant to support contemplation, presence, and spiritual connection.
Over time, this knowledge expanded beyond temples. Ancient architectural manuals describe not only religious buildings, but also homes, villages, and entire cities. Vastu gradually became part of everyday architecture, adapting to different regions and climates across India.
As Indian philosophy and architecture spread through Asia — particularly via Buddhist monks traveling from India to China — these ideas influenced other spatial traditions. Many historians note clear conceptual links between Vastu Shastra and Feng Shui, especially in their shared attention to orientation, landscape, and the five elements.
This is why Vastu is sometimes called Indian Feng Shui. In reality, the two systems share ancient roots but evolved independently within different cultures and worldviews.
How Vastu understands a space
The purpose of Vastu is not decoration or belief, but harmony. Traditional Vastu philosophy sees a building as a living system with three main layers:
The physical structure: the land, orientation, placement of rooms, elements, and circulation.
The human imprint: a place absorbs years of use, emotions, stress, and daily rhythms.
The subtle dimension
A metaphor often used in Vastu is that a home must be able to breathe.
Just as the body depends on circulation, a space needs movement — of light, air, and life. When certain areas are neglected or blocked, a place can feel heavy or stagnant. When circulation is restored, the atmosphere often changes.
A home designed or adjusted according to Vastu principles aims to nurture the people who live in it, supporting clarity, vitality, rest, and a sense of grounding. When a space supports us, everything becomes a little easier. Rest feels deeper. Focus comes more naturally. The home becomes what it was always meant to be: a place that quietly holds and nourishes life.