You Are Amazing

Pause to realise how amazing you are, how amazing it is to be here. Your existence is alive with possibility. Your existence is a reason for endless gratitude. In this meditation, the background music is "Heaven is Here" by Narek MIrzaei of Muis of Wisdom

Transcript

Music Dear friends,

In this meditation I want to remind you of how amazing you are.

We are going to reflect on how amazing it is to be alive and what a gift it is to be in this world.

So I invite you to close your eyes,

Make sure you are sitting comfortably.

It's not meant to be an endurance test.

What we want to do is to bring ourselves right into this present moment,

The here and the now.

Becoming aware of our existence here in this time and this place.

So first we take in a few deep breaths.

That helps us to come into a state of awareness.

And as we breathe in,

We think of words such as,

I'm aware that I'm breathing in.

I'm aware that I'm here in this place,

Breathing in.

And in the same way,

Each time we breathe out,

You might think of words such as,

I'm aware that I'm breathing out.

Here I am,

In this place,

Breathing out.

And that might help you to realize just how amazing it is to be here.

Just consciously breathing in and breathing out.

Let's give that a few moments.

Notice how much more present you feel after a simple exercise like that,

A simple breathing exercise.

So any time you find yourself stressed,

Fearful of the future,

Regretful of the past,

Under pressure,

Up to 90 as they say,

Just remember this one thing,

This one simple life-changing practice.

Take a breath.

Slow down.

Notice where you are.

Center yourself.

Become really present.

Then you can move on more calmly,

Less subject to losing your balance if something goes against you.

And things will go against us all.

It's a great practice.

And of course the great thing about the breath is that you have it with you all the time.

You don't need running shoes,

Gym equipment,

An instruction manual.

You just need to remember one thing.

Breathe and be present.

Breathe and be present.

That's all.

So let's give ourselves one minute to breathe and be present.

I have an opening prayer for you today.

This comes from the,

Well it's actually an adaptation from the Pali Canon.

It was given to me by a friend,

Elaine Harris.

Let the love of all the universe,

Your love,

Flow outward,

To its height,

Its depth,

Its broad extent.

You are more than you know,

And more beloved than you know.

Take up what power is yours to create a safe haven,

To make of earth a heaven.

Give hope to those you encounter,

That they may know safety from inner and outer harm.

Be happy and at peace,

Healthy and strong,

Caring and joyful.

Be the blessing you already are.

That is enough.

Blessed be.

The message,

Be the blessing you already are.

That is enough.

And so on to today's subject.

How amazing you are.

Isn't it extraordinary just to be here,

To be alive,

You and me,

Each and every one of us,

Here together,

Sharing this existence of ours,

This life of each of us.

It's just hard to believe when you stop to think of it.

It's such a taken for granted thing,

This existence of ours.

Like most of us,

You might just think,

Of course we're here.

Most of the time,

Myself included,

Pay hardly any attention to the sheer wonder of this fact.

Any more than we know is our breath and the air around us.

We take this existence for granted.

But we are all the poorer because of this.

And when you stop to think about it,

You come to see our existence for what it is,

This extraordinary,

Unbelievable gift.

Just to be.

Simply to be.

To be here.

To be alive,

Here and now.

And not only that,

But to be aware of this gift.

Let's pause for another minute to take this in.

Welcome back.

So just what is it about this universe that has brought about you and me and all of us in this Insight Timer community?

Looking at it simplistically,

Superficially,

You might say,

Well we had our parents,

And they had their parents and so on,

Back through the mists of time.

But what process brought anything about?

We know that the current scientific explanation for our universe is the Big Bang.

We are told that this occurred around 13.

7 billion years ago.

And this is explained by the fact that the universe is seen to be expanding.

Therefore it is reasoned that there had to be an earlier point in time when everything was much more compressed.

Therefore,

If you take the rate of expansion and you work your way backwards or inwards,

You arrive at an initial point,

A point of unimaginable compression,

Just over 13 billion years in the past.

But how did this process of exploding stars finally give rise to you and to me?

This dust of stars swirling into planets and this planet eventually giving rise to life,

And finally you and me,

Each of us sitting here today,

Who could imagine it?

Yet here we are.

So let's give ourselves another minute to simply breathe in,

Sit quietly in a state of gratitude for this amazing existence.

Welcome back.

That question,

Just how did this process of exploding stars finally give rise to you and me,

We don't have an answer to that question.

And maybe in our lifetimes we still won't have an answer.

But it's not so much a matter of an answer,

What is important is the question itself.

Because just thinking about our existence gives rise to an amazing feeling of gratitude.

And gratitude as we know changes our outlook for the better.

Gratitude will change each of our lives.

We did nothing to deserve this,

Nothing whatsoever,

Yet here we are,

Conscious thinking beings.

Living on a rock that is circling a medium sized star in the suburbs of an ordinary galaxy,

The Milky Way.

The Milky Way with its hundreds of billions of stars.

And the Milky Way itself being just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies that we can see through our telescopes.

And this is not science fiction,

This is amazing science fact.

700 years ago,

Meister Eckhart,

A German theologian,

Philosopher and mystic,

Left us these words.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,

It will be enough.

If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you,

It will be enough.

And so it is,

Thank you is enough.

Thank you is enough and thank you is also essential.

So let's pause for one more minute of gratitude.

Thank you for watching.

Welcome back.

When we give ourselves time to think about it,

The wonder of our existence must leave us speechless.

It must leave us in a sense of awe and wonder.

It just has to leave us with a sense of overflowing gratitude.

And in our moments of awe and wonder,

We must remember to find time for those two words,

Thank you.

Each of us will find that an attitude of gratitude is life changing.

And instead of approaching our days with a feeling of what we need to get,

We set out with a thought,

What are we in a position to give?

A thought along the lines,

Ask not what society can do for me,

Ask what I can do to improve the lot of the people around me.

And all of us have the capacity to give,

So much capacity.

And it's not just a matter of money,

Although if we have money we have the ability to do a lot.

What people need from us even more than money is time,

Interest,

Encouragement,

The kind word,

Being there for them.

We all have talents that we can put to good use.

Even the poorest of us,

In monetary terms,

Has a lot to contribute.

Just think of a person lying cold in the street.

The person needs shelter,

But that person needs warmth.

More than anything else they need warmth in the form of a smile,

A kind word,

A helping hand.

The person needs to be recognised as a person,

With a story,

Hopes,

Fears,

Just like you and just like me.

Gratitude sends us on an upward spiral.

Gratitude for our existence will lead us naturally to a point where we care more for the people around us.

And if we show that care for others,

We will live happier lives and we'll have ever more reasons for gratitude.

So those are my thoughts on how amazing you are.

I hope it's helped to reinforce your ideas of your own worth.

And on Wednesday nights I have an inside timer live which you are very welcome to join.

For today a closing thought.

May you be free from enmity and danger.

May you be free from mental suffering.

May you be free from physical suffering.

May you take care of yourself.

May you take care of others.

May you be happy.

And to end this meditation,

The divine in me bows to the divine in you.

Namaste.

Reviews

Yes, to be here now IS truly, truly miraculous. Thank you for the blessing of this beautiful meditation. 🙏🏼 Namaste

Lovely! Namaste & metta to you, Tony - thank you. 🙏

Thank you!
I too read Brian Cox's work and Richard Dawkins among a few more. Even though I am an atheist I deeply appreciate and understand the miracle of life and how grateful we should be that we made it here!
Each day, each moment is a blessing as we navigate life and it's challenges.
Thank you once again....a good reminder as we start another new year.🙏 Blessings to you and your family.

Recently been watching a lot of Brian Cox so this was so apt to listen to! So amazing - but here we are… living breathing in this space, in this time … existence … wow

Wow, that was great. Very relaxing, nice music and an inspiring message. Thank you. I’ll be returning. Edit: wearing headphones, it’s a bit difficult to hear your voice. Also, the ending is a little abrupt.

Tony you are amazing! Thank you for sharing your wisdom. Please, accept a warm hug! Namaste 🙏🏽

I love these thoughts and how they make me feel. Beautiful reminder of gratitude and it’s bounty and coming into the present moment. Thank you kind soul🥰

Thanks for this inspiring message Tony...I will join you on a Wednesday (what time?)

So powerful and inspiring. A simple reminder of the blessing of our existence. Thank you Tony!

I wake up to a gorgeous fall morning, the tree leaves are in full pallet display, the sun is warming the crispness left by the night, and my peafowl are strolling around out my window- I have a moment in time to not only fill my gratuitous self but to walk a meditation path with a fellow human who’s words and voice help me bring to surface the best and put to bed the rest.
You are always included in my gratitude 🙏🏼
Thank you, Tony.

Thank you for a beautiful meditation that reminded me that I am connected to all around me, and to give thanks 🙏🏾☺️.

Thank you, Tony! I enjoy listening to your calm voice and your tracks are helpful and encouraging. You’re a blessing!🤍

Thank you!

I love these words.

It is enough to be the blessing that you already are.

We breathe in the Love of the Universe, and breathe Love out to the Universe.

Thank you 🙏 for a delightful reminder.
Sending you love in return for sharing your gift 💗💗💗

Thank you so much dear Tony for another wonderful meditation. Your wise words are like a light in the dark and give hope and peace for all of us. Namasté

Thank you for this beautiful and inspiring practice.

Grateful to be here now, alive with wonder! Thanks for sharing this practice with us. Namaste

How amazing this meditation was! Awe for our existence, awe for all that lives. Thank you! 🤓🙏🏻

Thank you 🙏 many blessings today and always, dear Tony.

Beautiful reflection on being alive and grateful.Thank you,Tony.Namaste
🙏🏻🎇✨🕊💫💖