Indian science has formulas to align a home with nature Called vaastu for short (vastu meaning "place of dwelling" in Sanskrit and shastra meaning science), it originates in the Vedas, which are ancient sacred Hindu scriptures. It's only recently being embraced by Westerners, who are finding that there is a connection between the spaces that they live in and their bodies, minds and souls.

Vastu has formulas for planning and constructing a home to align it with nature's five elements: sky, air, earth, fire and water.

Each element is associated with a particular direction: water in the northeast, fire in the southeast, earth in the southwest, air in the northwest and space in the centre.

Vastu principles are also based on the sun's influence, the wind's direction, the position of the moon, the earth's magnetic field and the influence of the cosmos on our planet.

Living the way we are in modern cities, there's not much scope to get land and make structural changes But you can change the use of rooms, furniture placement and if possible, re-do the interiors.

As you look over your décor, pause to consider this: Is the fireplace against the south wall? That's the fire quadrant and vastu advocates placing heavy objects in the south and west of your home to block the negative energy of the midday sun.

Among other general rules, the door to your home should be in the auspicious east or north, the kitchen in the southeast corner and the bed in the southwest corner of the house. (The southwest corner is the earth quadrant and is considered to have an anchoring effect.)

An east-facing kitchen gets the morning sun, which is filled with energy, while the orange rays at dusk filtering into the bedroom are conducive to rest.

Sleeping with one's head to the north is a no-no. According to vastu principles, the human body acts as a magnet with the head as its North Pole. If the head points north while sleeping, the North Poles of the body and Earth will repel each other, affecting the blood circulation and causing disturbed sleep and stress.

But beyond generalities, come the specifics. How will a particular home benefit?