A key element of Maharishi Vastu is the insight that the human brain is sensitive to orientation, particularly and preferentially to east — the orientation of the rising sun. Research has already begun on Maharishi Sthapatya Veda principles to scientifically measure this phenomenon. Brain researchers have already discovered that place neurons found in the brain provide information about a body’s orientation in a room or environment. Initial brain research on orientation, navigation, and placement shows brain stem neurons fire differently depending on one’s orientation. This natural tendency of the brain to function with reference to direction follows the same laws of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda. These laws guide the structuring dynamics of creation, underlying all individual and cosmic values that sustain order in the universe. Research is already providing evidence that Maharishi Vastus optimize how well the brain functions, leading to greater health, financial success, and well being.
The first pillar of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is the orientation of a house to either due east or due north. Orientation is important because it is only these directions that will bring positive influences to those dwelling in the house. According to recent research in neuroscience, certain brain cells fire depending upon orientation. For example, the firing patterns of neurons in the thalamus of the brain, considered the gateway for perception and awareness, are altered by the direction one is facing.
There are also “place” neurons or “place-cells” in the brain that signal our body’s location in a house or larger environment. Thus, the brain processes information about where we are and in what direction we are facing. The brain considers these environmental connections important in how it makes up perception and how our brain and body function. So, it is not surprising that many people living in Maharishi Vastu homes report that they spontaneously know what direction they are facing while in their Vastu homes.Can you imagine that the architecture of your living and working space has a profound effect on your mind/body health? The knowledge of Maharishi Sthapatya Veda goes further and describes how our spatial orientation influences our minds & bodies. This knowledge states that when we live or work in buildings with improper orientation, imbalances are created in mind and body. We can interpret this to mean that the firing patterns of the neurons are developed in the wrong way. This brain imbalance can contribute to anxiety, illness, lack of creativity failure in family or professional life, anti-social behaviour and even criminal tendencies. More specifically, the ancient texts say that our brain functions optimally when our house is oriented toward the east, the direction of the rising sun. Recent research supports these ancient concepts and personal experiences of individuals who live in Maharishi Vastu homes. For example, researchers discovered that there is a strong correlation between mental health, cardiovascular health, and prosperity and the orientation of the subject’s home. The medical research to date seems to bear out that the brain is designed to function in a manner consistent with the recommendations of these ancient texts on ideal buildings.
“Sthapatya Veda connects the individual with his own cosmic potential. If there is a deviation, then this deviation is not healthy. Those that live there will not act in an evolutionary direction. The thinking and feeling will be contaminated. Unless Sthapatya Veda happens nothing can happen. All the logic, all the arguments, all the money, nothing will work as long as people are living in disorientation from the prescribed orientation of Vastu buildings in which they live and work.”
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 11 February, 2004
