New Year Home Reset as per Vastu

You reset your home for the New Year by going zone by zone over one weekend, starting with the steps that are free. Clearing, cleaning and repairing come first; buying anything comes last, if at all.

A simple plan is to do the entrance, the North-East and the centre on Saturday, and the South-West, the kitchen and the repairs on Sunday. End with a few quiet minutes to write your intention.

First, clear and clean the main entrance, because in Vastu the main door is where energy and opportunity enter the home. A door that opens fully onto a bright, tidy space sets the tone for everything else.

Refresh the North-East by removing everything heavy or unused from it and keeping it clean, light and bright. The ईशान्य (Ishanya, the North-East) is the zone of the Water element and is traditionally linked with clarity and prayer.

Dust the pooja shelf, wash the lamp and remove dried flowers and old incense ash. Take out stored cartons, old shoes, the dustbin and any broom kept in this corner. In many Mumbai flats the North-East is a balcony or window; clean the glass and let the morning light in.

Keep the centre of the home open and make the South-West steady and ordered. The centre is the ब्रह्मस्थान (Brahmasthan, the centre of the home), the zone of Space, and the South-West is the zone of Earth, linked with stability and rest.

In the centre, move away anything that has drifted there: a laundry stand, a shoe pile, stacked parcels or an extra chair. Even a clear patch of floor is enough in a compact flat.

In the South-West, usually the master bedroom or a storage wall, sort the cupboard. Give away clothes not worn for a long time, pull out whatever is stored under the bed and wipe the space.

Balance fire and water in the kitchen by keeping the stove and the sink clean, in working order and a little apart from each other. In Vastu the stove stands for अग्नि (Agni, the Fire element) and the sink for Water, and the two are not placed side by side where it can be avoided.

You cannot shift a fitted platform in a flat, so work with what you have. Clean the burners until the flame burns blue and even. Fix the dripping tap. If the stove and sink sit next to each other, keep a small gap, a wooden board or a plant between them. Then discard expired packets from the shelves.

Repair or remove broken items, start or discard stopped clocks, and take down old calendars. In Vastu these things are said to hold the home in a past moment.

Writing down an intention gives the cleaned home a direction, so that the reset is about how you want to live and not only about tidiness. In Indian tradition this resolve is called a संकल्प (sankalpa, a clear intention).

Keep it to one or two honest lines, in your own words: more calm at home, regular family meals, steady study, better rest. Sit facing East or North, write it on a clean page and keep it in the pooja area or inside your diary. Vastu supports effort; it does not replace it.

Consult a Vastu expert when the reset is done and something still feels unsettled, or when a toilet, the kitchen or the entrance falls in a zone you cannot change. The free Vastu score tool gives a first idea of where your home stands.

Dr. Kimaya Parikh-Ambekar of VastuKimaya, in Andheri East, Mumbai, offers on-site and distant consultations for homes and flats. Her remedies are non-structural, so they suit rented and society flats, and they are explained in a written report.