Money isn’t everything… but it ranks right up there with oxygen.

~ Rita Davenport

Finances! This is one of the most emotionally charged topics ever. And it’s a topic necessary for all of us to address, regardless of our situation.

Do not fool yourself into believing your finances do not affect your health. Have you ever in your life worried about money? Have you ever wondered where you would get the money to pay the next bill, cover the rent or mortgage, or fix the broken car? Have you felt the discomfort in talking with your spouse about money, cringing at the thought that it may even start an argument? Even if you’re doing fine financially, have you ever gotten upset after lending money to a friend or family member in need, only to have them never pay you back?

Increased stress leads to increases in stress hormones, ulcers, a depressed immune system, and higher blood pressure. Worries about money affect relationships and our emotional well-being. Money affects us on every level. And our belief about money guides us in ways that we sometimes don’t even understand. Our upbringing taught us a fair amount about money even if it wasn’t talked about. But most of us haven’t been formally taught how to manage it.

According to Ayurveda, money is energy; and part of our duty is to attract it into our life without greed. Artha, or the accumulation of wealth as a householder — and one of the four aims of life—is regarded as a necessity. Money flows in and out of our lives. It’s actually an ebb and flow. But with our own will, desires, and anxiety or fear, we can prevent the two-way flow of money, wealth, and abundance in our lives. Therefore, we must stay mindful of our thoughts and actions surrounding money, avoiding either holding on to it too tightly or spending it unwisely.

Getting Rid of a Poverty Mind-Set

Most of us have been brought up with poverty consciousness, a mind-set that says, “I don’t have enough.” You’ve heard people say things like: “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” “We can’t afford it,” “I’m living paycheck to paycheck,” and “Once I win the lottery, I’ll start enjoying life.” Do you realize that by thinking you won’t have enough, you won’t?

I grew up in a household where my mother incessantly told us we were poor. We always heard: “We’re poor; we can’t afford it.” She literally conditioned us to believe it. I hated hearing those words. But internally, I never really believed them. Yes, she was a single mother and had to wait tables to put herself through college and pay the bills. But here’s the startling thing: even when she was a seasoned schoolteacher making seventy thousand dollars a year, she still said she was poor. The mind-set never changed. At nineteen, when I began to travel the world, I saw real poverty. I realized that in the United States we’re not poor. While we may say we’re poor, we have a roof over our heads, a television, and a car. According to other countries in the world, we are rich. Perspective is everything.

Poverty mind-set poisons abundance and wealth consciousness. I once saw a special edition of the Oprah Winfrey Show, which she had recorded in India. She visited a home in the slums of Mumbai, where she found a family of four—a husband, wife, and two daughters—living in a hundredsquare- foot home. Now imagine, the entire home measured ten feet by ten feet. In that home, they prepared meals, ate, played, and slept. The bathroom was outdoors. The husband went to work on a moped and spent much of his earnings to send his daughters to private school. Here’s the surprising part: they had few material possessions and necessities, but they were happy. They considered themselves not poor but middle class.You can have little money but feel rich, and you can have an abundance of money and feel poor. It is all about the way you think.

Honoring Money as Energy: Giving to Receive

Poverty consciousness and wealth consciousness are mind-sets. Even if you’re stuck in poverty consciousness, you can train your mind to replace it with abundance consciousness. It’s not an easy thing to do, but with consistent training it’s possible.

Practicing Gratitude

Being thankful for what is already in your life is the best way to notice wealth and abundance. Every day, say thank you to your creator, thank your spouse or lover and your children for being in your life. Thank your friends, colleagues, and anyone who touches your life. Notice how much you have in your life already, even if your bank account is empty. Look at your home, your furniture, your car, your clothing, your dishes, your clean drinking water—everything in your life. Then expand this consciousness to encompass the earth. Gaze at the sun, notice the birds, the trees, the flowers, the animals. Appreciate nature’s beauty and your ability to appreciate it. Give thanks for your five senses, your limbs, and for your health. You are truly blessed and abundant.

Giving to Others

You may wonder how giving is going to make you rich and abundant. Remember that money is energy, and what you give out comes back to you. Every religion teaches about giving. Everything I’ve read about creating wealth states the same thing; you must give a portion of what you have if money is to come to you. Many philosophies believe that you should give 10 percent of your gross earnings. Financial guru Suze Orman states in her book The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom that you should ask your inner voice how much to give. If your inner voice says 5 percent, heed that inner wisdom. If your inner voice tells you to give 10 percent and you give only 5 percent, you will retain your poverty consciousness. Trusting that there is enough will prove to you there is. When you hold back, frightened by the prospect that you will lack sufficient money, you continue to embrace poverty and wear its shackles. But of course, never get into debt in order to give. In other words, don’t put your gift on your credit card if you cannot pay off that bill straightaway.

Finally, giving is always between you and your creator. Never fret about where the money is going to go or how it will be spent. Do your research and choose wisely, but in the end you are giving to give. Your gift must be unconditional for it to work. You are sending the message to the universe that the money isn’t really yours anyway. It’s a gift, just like what you are giving away.

Excerpted from the book The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda. Copyright © 2015 by Michelle S. Fondin. Printed with permission from New World Library. www.newworldlibrary.com.

Michelle S. Fondin is the author of The Wheel of Healing with Ayurveda. She holds a Vedic Master Certificate from the Chopra Center and is a member of the National Ayurvedic Medical Association and Yoga Alliance. She treats clients at her Ayurvedic Path center, speaks and offers workshops. Visit her online at michellefondin.com.