Research on Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
(also known as Maharishi Vastu) –
the Foundation of FeelGood® Homes
Examination of the Effects of Living and Working in Maharishi Vastu Buildings.
Compiled by Jon Lipman, AIA, Maharishi Sthapatya Veda Institute, Maharishi University of Management, Fairfield, Iowa, USA.
Building Orientation
The ancient texts of Vastu predict that not only our own body’s orientation, but also the orientation of the buildings we occupy, will affect us in detectable, well-delineated ways. Maharishi Vastu theory predicts that the widest range of auspicious influences benefit those who live in East-facing houses, and the broadest, most life-damaging influences come to bear on those in South-facing houses.
Mental Health & Prosperity:
The first such test was carried out as a component of Dr. Butler’s research cited here. As a part of her survey of patients Butler uncovered that there was a strong relationship between house orientation and scores in the areas of prosperity and mental health among her patients. Patients whose most faced South scored significantly lower in these areas.
Travis, F., Butler, V., Rainforth, M., Alexander, C.N., Khare, R., Lipman, J. “Can a Building’s Orientation Affect the Quality of Life of the People Within? Testing Principles of Maharishi Sthāpatya Veda,’’ Journal of Social Behavior and Personality. October, 2004. Butler’s study’s subjects did not live in Maharishi Sthapatya Veda-designed houses and were generally unacquainted with Maharishi Sthapatya Veda design. Approximately 100 subjects were included in the study.
Cardiovascular Health:
Another finding comes from the review of data from a cardiologist practicing in Orange County, California. He found that 50% of his patients lived in South-facing houses. This disproportionately high percentage correlates with the Vastu understanding that residents in South-facing buildings come under an influence of all problems and suffering.
John Zamarra, M.D., verbal description of preliminary review conducted by on 100 of his recent patients. Orientation of house was based on street address. Addresses were categorized into one of four cardinal directions. Zamarra hopes to follow this up with a comprehensive study of 3000 patients and submit his findings for publication.
Crime:
A third finding comes from a study that examined the correlation of negative behavior with house orientation. The research established that there were 75% more burglaries in South-facing houses than in houses facing East, West, or North.
Prev. cit.: Travis, F., Butler, V., Rainforth, M., Alexander, C.N., Khare, R., Lipman, J., Study conducted on 110 burglaries reported in Fairfield, Iowa. A preliminary, unpublished study in 2000 by student Jar-El Cohen at the Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, Fairfield, Iowa conducted on burglaries reported in Ottumwa, Iowa yielded similar results.
Subjective Sensitivity to Vastu Buildings:
Another study has shown that individuals can detect the nature of the building they are in with no classical sensory cues (visual=blindfold, auditory=headphones with nature sounds, smell=same aroma, motor =moved in wheelchair input). Under these sensory-deprived conditions, individuals were randomly exposed to and could distinguish new Vastu buildings, from “rectified” Vastu office buildings and from non-Vastu buildings.
DeFrietas, Graham, Preliminary Report on a Study on Vastu-sensitive subjects. Unpublished research, Maharishi University of Management, 2005
Each of these individual cited studies is preliminary, but taken collectively they lend support for the principle of Maharishi Vedic architecture that mind-body health and well-being is promoted by the design of east-facing buildings, and designs that provide a maximum of eastern sunlight for their occupant.
