Posted on 05/04/2022 at 11:45 a.m.,
Reading 2 mins.
A new study by American and Australian researchers sheds light on the impact of the placement of furniture and the architecture of a house or apartment on our mental and physical health.
Do you pay attention to the place of your furniture in your home? If not, you should! A recent study published in the journal Global Advances in Health and Medicine states that the placement of furniture but also the architecture of the place where we live can have an impact on stress, sleep as well as our mental and physical health.
This study, conducted by researchers from the Maharishi International University (USA) and the Maharishi Vedic Research Institute (Australia), is based on the principle of Maharishi Vastu (MVA) architecture. It is a holistic wellness architectural system that aligns a building’s location and orientation with the intelligence of nature, creating balanced, orderly, and integrated living environments with the goal of improve the lives of occupants.
Sleeping with the head to the east would help to stay healthy
The researchers reveal concrete results through this study. According to them, sleeping with the head to the east or to the south would be associated with a lower heart rate, blood pressure and cholesterol level. They also reveal that houses whose front door is on the south imply poor mental health. For teleworkers, the study reveals that being eastbound while working is associated with better mental coherence and greater ease in completing tasks quickly.
“The integration of the principles of Maharishi Vastu architecture in the positioning of the rooms of a house is correlated with significant improvements in the physical and mental health and the quality of life of the occupants: better sleep, greater happiness of the children and experiencing an increased sense of security and reduced stress. The frequency of burglaries, a social determinant of health, is also correlated,” say the researchers in a statement.
Principles of Maharishi Vastu Architecture
Maharishi Vastu architecture is the recent revival of an ancient South Asian architectural system that has been applied in the West for the past 20 years. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of the Transcendental Meditation organization, joined more than 20 principles in a single, comprehensive building system.
Some of the principles included in this system are:
- The main entrance to the house or apartment faces east or north;
- The walls align with the cardinal points;
- The floor plan assigns key functions to specific locations;
- The floor plan allows occupants to face the most ideal directions while working and sleeping;
- Architectural plans must follow consistent and precise guidelines;
- In line with the idea of providing a healthy environment, the system emphasizes non-toxic natural materials, increased fresh air and reduced electromagnetic radiation.
The results of the study suggest that Maharishi Vastu architecture offers a viable approach to using architectural design as a tool for promoting mental and physical health. Please note, however, that the correlation between these health indicators and the principles of the MVA architecture does not make it possible to prove a causal link between the two…