Vastu for Yoga and Meditation Spaces

Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself. —Hermann Hesse, Siddhartha

Here are some tips from Vastu, the yoga of design that will enhance your yoga or meditation space. 

Both the northeast and the center of your home or your room are considered ideal locations for meditation and yoga.  The northeast sector is always a sacred zone. Its element is water, so a water feature (such as a fountain or beautiful flowers floating in a glass bowl of clear water) can enhance this space if placed here. The center self-generates prana (universal life force energy), and its predominant element is space (akasha). If placing your practice space in either of these sectors is not possible, then make whatever space or nook you have for yoga beautiful and treat it as your sacred retreat.

If you are fortunate enough to have an extra room that you can set aside for your meditation, prayers, yoga practice, and contemplative time, it will bring additional spiritual energy and serenity to your home.

Remove your shoes before entering your yoga area.  Even if you have not adopted the intelligent habit of leaving your shoes at the door of your home, remove them before entering your practice space. This marks it as a separate area that will stay clean and honored, setting the conditions for better asana and meditation practices. It will also help you to feel more relaxed and less tired.

Keep your meditation seat and yoga mat clean and fresh.  Treat housekeeping in this area as a ritual blessing for you and your home, rather than thinking of it as a chore. That way it becomes part of your practice.

Make it comfortable!  If you’re not comfortable, you will be more distracted and less likely to settle down. Comfort is a consideration in Vastu.

Natural materials are ideal. Silk, cotton, wool, wood, bamboo, and similar materials have the right energy for this space.

If you like to use candles here, make them natural as well.  Beeswax candles are known to purify the air.

Beauty is always a requirement. The décor can be in any style, as long as you find it beautiful, serene, tranquil, and sacred to you. And when choosing artwork, again go for beauty! Choose spiritual subjects or peaceful, healing, uplifting images.

Creating an altar honors the divine. You can set up an altar or personal shrine in the northeast of most rooms. Altars for specific purposes can also be erected in their own relevant sector. For example: southwest for relationships; north for finance and career; and northwest for travel or anything represented by movement, which is a characteristic of the air element.

Open a window during pranayama practice.  If you are doing breathing practices in this space, it is beneficial to have a window that can be opened to bring fresh air and prana into the room.

Refined spiritual energy can build up in your home, especially if you are doing spiritual practices such as meditation. These layers of shakti make any space feel more sacred and noticeably special. Meditation and other spiritual practices create balance and improve the quality of your home or office. In fact, besides building according to Vastu, the best thing you can do to improve the supportiveness of a space is to do spiritual practices (sadhana). Vastu, prayer, meditation, yoga, chanting, and breathing practices (pranayama) all enliven both you and your home.