Vastu Shastra, a concept from the Indian community closely related to feng shui, offers insight on energies that may influence your sleeping behavior or sleep quality. If you’re having trouble sleeping, you might try aligning your sleeping position with the principles of Vastu.
What Is Vastu Shastra?
Vastu Shastra is a concept that influences architectural design and is about balance based on science. It's similar to feng shui, a Chinese practice that focuses on energy in your everyday life to achieve balance. Both principles influence how you should design your living or work space in the belief that it can affect your health.
Both principles also help you make the most out of your living space and life to help you stay positive. Even if you're not a firm believer in the concepts, following them may improve your organizational skills and space utility.
According to the principles, sleeping in the wrong direction can create health problems and can inhibit your well-being, leading to stress and negativity.
Sleeping Direction According to Vastu
Vastu teaches that space and direction interact with natural elements like the wind and sun to affect your general well-being. According to Vastu, you should sleep with your head pointing in any direction other than north, with each different direction promoting distinct benefits. Practitioners believe sleeping with one’s head towards the north brings sickness and reduced sleep quality.
North. In Hindu custom, the bodies of dead people are placed with the head pointing to the north until cremation. The belief is that the north is the direction that the soul uses when exiting the world. This notion signifies that sleeping with your head facing the north is only desirable for lucid dreaming and astral travel.
When you sleep with your head toward the north, the earth’s magnetism works against you. The earth’s north pole will repel your head’s magnetism. As such, you wake up feeling exhausted from a subconscious battle throughout the night.
East. According to Vastu, sleeping toward the east is an ideal sleeping position, especially for students, because the direction enhances memory, promotes meditative sleep, and increases concentration. All these factors contribute to overall good health.
The position is also excellent for teachers, scholars, and people looking for better career opportunities or promotions. The direction makes you wake up feeling energized and powerful. If you have a health-related obstacle you want to overcome, try facing this direction when sleeping.
West. There are different beliefs about sleeping while facing the west. Some say that it is a position for people who are striving for fame and are success-driven. If your goals are rooted in fame or ambition, try sleeping with your head to the west.
Others believe that the west is a neutral position, while others think that it brings active and unsettling dreams. The Vastu perspective holds that the guest bedroom should be inclined to a westward arrangement. When visitors sleep with their heads pointing to the west, they will not have a totally restful night’s sleep, preventing them from overstaying their welcome in your house.
South. According to Vastu principles, the optimal sleeping direction is the south. The south is governed by the Hindu god Yama. If you want to have a heavy and rejuvenating sleep, this is the direction you should face. Practitioners of this concept also believe that sleeping while facing the south reduces the risk of high blood pressure.
Concerning the magnetic field theory, when your head, which has north magnetic poles, faces the south, it creates a harmonious exchange. The result is that it draws energy into your body rather than out. This direction makes you wake up feeling happy, rejuvenated, prosperous, and healthy.
Additional Sleeping Suggestions from Vastu Shastra
In addition to suggesting that you should sleep with your head facing the south or east, Vastu suggests other sleeping conditions:
- Don't put mirrors in a direct line with your bed.
- Keep electronics out of your room.
- Place your headboard on the opposite side of the doorway.
- Remove clutter from your bedroom.
- Paint your walls with bright colors like cream, white, or earth tone colors.
- Close any windows and doors inside the room while you sleep.
- Your master bedroom should ideally be in the south-west section of your home.
- Avoid placing your bed near windows, directly under a beam, or against walls or corners.
- Scents are powerful in lifting your mood and spirit, helping you fall asleep easily.
