The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard

In this meditation, I return to one of our meditation masters, Saint Francis de Sales, and his wonderfully practical teaching about stress and contemplative practice.
Francis de Sales famously taught that a period of meditation each day is essential — unless we are extremely busy, in which case we need even more meditation. Behind the gentle humour is an important truth: when stress and anxiety increase, the practices that keep us grounded are often the first things we abandon.
We begin by honestly recognising how we arrive to meditation. If we are busy, anxious or overwhelmed, we do not try to deny or immediately change that experience. Instead, we meet it with curiosity and compassion.
Through awareness of bodily sensations, the senses and the present moment, we learn to notice anxiety without being consumed by it. Again and again, we return to what Francis de Sales understood as the doorway into divine love: the reality of the present moment itself.
This meditation offers support for anxiety, stress and emotional overwhelm while cultivating mindfulness, contemplative awareness and a more compassionate relationship with difficult sensations.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Saint Francis de Sales on stress
01:51 – Opening bell
02:00 – Checking in honestly with ourselves
03:25 – Noticing stress within the body
05:05 – Exploring sensations with curiosity
06:27 – Returning to open-hearted awareness
08:01 – Grounding through the senses
09:23 – The present moment as a doorway to love
10:05 – Resting in stable awareness
10:38 – Noticing thoughts and sensations
11:39 – Choosing awareness when stress returns
12:11 – Closing bell

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In this meditation, I explore the image of sunset as a pathway into rest, stillness and contemplative awareness.
In previous meditations we have worked with the image of an inner sunrise — awareness illuminating the landscape of our being. Here we turn towards sunset, allowing the fading light of day to become a symbol of letting go. This practice can be particularly helpful in the evening, during stressful or anxious periods, or when preparing for sleep.
We begin by settling into the body and breath, gently releasing tension, stress and worry. As the breath becomes calm and spacious, we visualise its movement as light within us.
From there, we enter the golden hour of an imagined sunset, watching the colours deepen as day gives way to night. As the sun disappears, the moon of meditation rises — the “Lady’s Lamp” of the contemplative tradition, reflecting divine light into the darkness.
Gradually even this image fades, leaving only quiet awareness of the breath.
This meditation offers a gentle practice for relaxation, evening stillness, stress relief and restful sleep, helping us move peacefully from the activity of the day towards rest.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Meditating with sunset
00:42 – Opening bell
00:47 – Letting go of what came before
01:35 – Settling the body into rest
02:18 – Breathing out stress and anxiety
03:35 – Visualising the breath as light
04:59 – Entering the golden hour
05:40 – Watching the inner sun set
06:53 – The moon of meditation rises
08:02 – Resting in the Lady’s Lamp
08:46 – Moving towards deep rest
09:25 – Letting the visualisation fade
10:10 – Returning gently to the body
10:44 – Closing bell

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In this meditation, I begin a new series inspired by the story of the prophet Elijah and his retreat to the cave. For centuries, Elijah’s experience there has been understood as a map of the contemplative journey and the challenges we encounter as meditation deepens.
We begin with the first of those challenges: the storm. Just as Elijah encounters a great storm outside the cave, we often encounter storms of our own when we enter stillness — racing thoughts, difficult emotions, distractions or the pressures of life.
Rather than fighting the storm, this meditation invites us to notice it without becoming part of it. We use the breath as an anchor, returning gently again and again to the present moment and learning the contemplative practice of abiding.
As the meditation deepens, we discover that beneath distraction there is always a more stable awareness: a quiet place of presence, grace and peace that the storm cannot take from us.
This practice offers support during stress, anxiety and emotional overwhelm, while strengthening breath awareness, contemplative prayer and the ability to remain grounded during difficult moments.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Elijah and the storm
00:56 – Opening bell
01:00 – Entering the cave of meditation
02:29 – Elijah encounters the storm
02:54 – Recognising our own inner storms
03:58 – The breath as an anchor
05:17 – Breathing with the whole body
06:02 – When distraction arises
07:03 – Returning gently to the breath
07:53 – Abiding while the storm passes
09:08 – The security of the inner cave
09:43 – Bringing stability into daily life
10:17 – Returning to the body
10:48 – Closing bell

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In today’s guided meditation, Brother Richard introduces Touchstone Meditation, a simple practice that uses a familiar everyday object as an anchor for stillness, mindfulness and deeper awareness.
Across contemplative traditions, physical objects such as prayer beads, meditation beads and stones have long been used to help centre the mind and settle the body. In this meditation, you’re invited to choose an object from your own surroundings — perhaps a piece of jewellery, a favourite chair or cushion, a keepsake or another familiar object — and allow it to become your own meditation touchstone.
Through mindful breathing, relaxation and careful observation, Brother Richard guides you in creating an association between your chosen object and the experience of inner calm. Over time, simply seeing, holding or even remembering that object can become a gentle cue to return to the present moment.
This guided practice is particularly useful when meditation feels difficult or when life feels busy or distracting. Your touchstone becomes a simple tool you can carry into everyday life, helping you reconnect with your breath, release stress and anxiety, and find your way back to stillness wherever you are.
A gentle meditation for mindfulness, relaxation, stress relief, sleep, contemplative prayer and present-moment awareness. This practice can be used as part of your daily meditation routine, during moments of stress or distraction, or as a calming meditation before bed to help you relax, unwind and prepare for restful sleep.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction to Touchstone Meditation
02:17 – Settling Into Meditation
03:06 – Connecting With the Breath
05:07 – Choosing Your Touchstone
06:07 – Observing the Object
06:39 – Making the Object a Cue for Stillness
08:05 – Using Your Touchstone Wherever You Are
09:19 – Deepening Into Relaxation
10:24 – Returning to the Breath
11:18 – Carrying the Touchstone Into Daily Life
11:36 – Closing Bell

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In this guided meditation, Brother Richard continues the Movement Meditation series by exploring the ancient contemplative practice of bowing with awareness.
Although meditation is often associated with stillness, movement has long formed part of contemplative practice across many spiritual traditions. In this meditation, the simple act of bowing is connected to the rhythm of the breath, allowing body and mind to work together in a deliberate gesture of gratitude, reverence and attention.
You can practise the bow standing or seated, make only a small movement of the head, or simply visualise the gesture if physical movement isn't comfortable. The emphasis is never on how deeply you bow, but on the intention and awareness behind it.
As the practice unfolds, Brother Richard explores how intentional movement can sometimes lead us into an even deeper interior stillness. In the Franciscan tradition, the bow can also become a way of holding others in compassionate awareness and prayer.
This meditation can support mindfulness, embodied awareness, gratitude, relaxation and contemplative prayer. It can be used as part of a daily meditation practice, during periods of distraction, or as a gentle practice for winding down and preparing for restful sleep.
Chapters
00:00 – Introduction: Bringing movement into meditation
00:58 – Opening bell
01:12 – Settling into stillness and breath
03:24 – Setting an intention for the bow
04:38 – Choosing a comfortable bowing posture
05:33 – Preparing body, breath and intention
05:49 – Beginning the bowing practice
07:23 – Finding inner stillness through movement
08:11 – Continuing with breath and bowing
09:01 – Bowing as gratitude and compassionate prayer
10:09 – Returning to the body
10:24 – Closing bell

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