Choosing a Time for an Online Session Across Time Zones

Start from Indian Standard Time, which is UTC+5:30 and does not change through the year — India has no daylight saving. That single fact makes planning easier than it looks, because only your side moves.

The rough offsets from IST are: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Muscat 1½ hours behind, and Doha, Riyadh and Kuwait 2½ hours behind; Singapore, Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur 2½ hours ahead; the UK 4½ hours behind during British Summer Time and 5½ hours behind in winter; central Europe (Paris, Berlin) 3½ or 4½ hours behind; the US East Coast 9½ or 10½ hours behind; the US West Coast 12½ or 13½ hours behind; Sydney 4½ or 5½ hours ahead.

Because several countries shift their clocks twice a year and India does not, a slot that worked in July may be an hour out in November. Re-confirm the time in writing before each follow-up rather than assuming last time's slot still holds.

Consultations are held Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 7 pm IST; Sunday is closed. Against those hours most cities have a usable window of several hours. The trick is choosing the part of that window where you are at your sharpest, not simply the part where you are technically available.

Because a consultation asks something of you. You have to think, remember, disagree and decide — none of which you do well while rushing out to a commute, or worn out at the end of a long working day.

Saturday is a working day at the Indian end, so for many clients abroad it is the easiest choice: a Saturday slot your side leaves you unhurried before and after. Sunday is closed in India, which also rules out a Saturday-evening slot from the Americas. If you are discussing a home, a daytime slot also gives you light to take fresh photographs if more are needed.

The wider point is simple: choose the slot where you will not be watching a clock. A session taken in a gap between two other obligations is a session half given.

Almost every mix-up comes from one of six things, and all six are avoidable in a minute.

Yes, more than people expect. A tarot reading is a two-way conversation throughout, so you want a slot where you are mentally fresh and able to speak freely — early in your day is usually better than late.

A distant Reiki session is the opposite: it suits a time when you can lie down quietly afterwards and not be needed by anyone. The quietest part of your day that falls within Indian hours, or a Saturday, works well, and you will not want to drive straight after.

A remote Vastu consultation is the most flexible, because the analysis of your floor plan happens before the call. What you need is an uninterrupted stretch to go through the findings, with the plan open on a second screen or printed beside you.

For a consultation, practicality comes first. There is no requirement to find a particular मुहूर्त (muhurat, chosen auspicious time) to talk to a consultant — the conversation is preparatory work, not a ritual.

Timing does become relevant for the things you may do afterwards: a गृह प्रवेश (Griha Pravesh, house-entering ceremony), placing a mandir, or beginning a remedy at home. Those can be discussed and planned during the session itself.

If you would like a particular day or period considered for a decision, say so when you book. That is a separate conversation from when your call is scheduled.

Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar consults online for clients outside Mumbai and outside India. Consultations run Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 7 pm IST, and within those hours the slot is chosen to suit your time zone. She also travels for site visits elsewhere in India and abroad, arranged on the free first call.

Write to stayblessed@vastukimaya.com or message +91 70391 07512 with your city and two or three windows that genuinely suit you, including whether a Saturday is easier. If none of the hours above works from where you live, you can ask on WhatsApp whether a slot outside them is possible; it depends on the diary and cannot be promised. The first consultation call is free, and the timing, the way the session runs and the arrangements are all settled on it.

Sessions are held in English, Hindi, Marathi or Gujarati. The office is at A-1304, Naman Premier, Marol Military Road, Andheri East, Mumbai 400059, for anyone who would rather come in person for Vastu work when visiting India.