The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard

In this meditation, I invite you to explore intercession as a quiet, attentive practice of presence.We begin by reflecting on what it means to be present to the need of another, not by fixing or demanding, but by holding them gently in awareness. Intercession here is not effortful. It is a way of standing with someone in care, allowing compassion to be breathed rather than spoken.As we settle into the breath, peace and calm are breathed out. We hold a clear, simple sense of the person we are sitting with, allowing them to enter this moment alongside us. With each breath, kindness is offered freely, without expectation or outcome.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you practice care, connection and steady presence for yourself and for others. 00:00 – Introduction 00:17 – What intercession means 00:25 – Being present to another’s need 00:40 – Intercession in meditation 01:40 – The bell 02:50 – Bringing someone gently to mind 04:20 – Centering on the breath 05:15 – Breathing out peace and calm 05:55 – Visualising the other person 06:30 – The shared place of the breath 07:30 – All beings held in this way 07:45 – Breathing kindness toward them 08:00 – Releasing expectation 10:20 – Letting the image fade 11:00 – Returning to breath and room 12:20 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, we return to compassion as a living practice, rooted in the heart and expressed through loving kindness.We begin by reflecting quietly on what compassion means, and on how we meet the inevitable presence of suffering in our own lives and in the world. As we settle into posture and breath, attention rests gently in the heart, allowing compassion to arise without force or strain.With each breath, kindness is breathed out toward those who are in need, and we learn to remain present to suffering without being overwhelmed by it. Compassion is then allowed to widen, extending beyond ourselves to all living beings, held in peace and care.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you cultivate warmth, steadiness and an open, compassionate presence. 00:00 – Introduction 00:15 – The compassion practice 00:30 – What compassion means 00:45 – Meeting suffering with care 01:15 – The bell 01:28 – Settling into posture 02:35 – Encountering the breath 06:20 – Breathing compassion outward 06:41 – Being with suffering in peace 06:55 – Extending compassion to all beings 07:22 – Breathing in peace, breathing out love 11:30 – Returning awareness gently 12:12 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to recover the full form of the practice, returning once more to the foundations that support everything else.We begin by finding the form of the body, allowing posture to be upright yet relaxed, as if gently held from above. Attention then rests with the ebb and flow of the breath, like a quiet tide moving in and out. As the body softens, the face relaxes, and thoughts are noticed as they arise, without effort or judgement.Again and again, we remember that we can return to the breath at any moment, a place of peace that is always available. From here, awareness widens and gently returns to the room, carrying the calm of the practice into the rest of the day.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you re-establish steadiness, ease and quiet presence. 00:00 – Introduction 00:05 – Opening the practice 00:48 – The bell 01:45 – Finding the form 02:35 – The image of the string 04:42 – The tide of the breath 06:15 – Relaxing the body and face 07:45 – Noticing thoughts as they arise 11:15 – Returning to the breath as a place of peace 11:45 – Awareness returning to the room 12:25 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I reflect on the wisdom of Padre Pio, a Capuchin friar whose teaching brings us again and again into the present moment.We begin by entering as fully as we can into now, recognising the breath as pneuma, the living breath that sustains us. As attention rests with breathing, we discover a place of peace and equanimity that does not depend on circumstances.Padre Pio reminds us that the present moment is the only place where we have agency and choice. The past cannot be changed, only received with wisdom. The future has not yet arrived, and so we learn to entrust it gently to love. What remains is this moment, quietly available.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest in presence, trust and steady awareness. 00:00 – Introduction00:10 – Padre Pio, the Capuchin friar01:05 – The bell02:35 – Entering fully into the present moment02:56 – The breath as pneuma03:41 – Being with the breath04:35 – Peace and equanimity07:15 – The present as the place of choice07:43 – Receiving wisdom from the past10:01 – Trusting the future12:25 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to be gently present to the subtle sensations of the breath, allowing attention to rest with its quiet movement.We begin by settling into care and calmness, noticing where the breath is felt most naturally. As awareness deepens, we familiarise ourselves with the breath’s movement through the body, tracking its path without effort or control.Attention is drawn to the precise moment where the breath enters and leaves the body, and to the warmth of the out-breath as a simple marker of presence. The breath becomes a living companion, always available, always sufficient.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you attune to subtle awareness and rest in steady, embodied presence.00:00 – Introduction01:05 – The bell03:20 – Care and calmness03:45 – Where the breath is felt04:15 – Familiarising with the breath’s movement07:30 – Tracking the breath through the body08:04 – The moment the breath enters and leaves11:00 – Following the warmth of the out-breath13:00 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to be quietly present with the breath through a simple box breathing practice.We begin by acknowledging that everyone’s breath is different. There is no ideal rhythm to reach. We settle the body, remove distractions, and find a steady form. From there, the breath becomes enough for this moment, allowing tension and stress to be released on the out-breath.Box breathing offers a gentle structure, not as control, but as support. As the rhythm unfolds, attention steadies and the nervous system softens. The practice can be returned to whenever calm and balance are needed.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you regulate the breath, restore steadiness, and return to ease. 00:00 – Introduction01:10 – What is box breathing01:35 – Every breath is different01:50 – The bell03:10 – How we breathe for this practice03:25 – Removing distractions03:30 – Finding the form03:55 – What the masters teach04:29 – The breath is enough04:55 – Breathing out tension and stress06:15 – The box breathing pattern06:55 – Finding your rhythm07:15 – Box breathing begins09:15 – A second round11:02 – Box breathing as a support12:45 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to return to the Inner Room, a practice that brings us back to a place of deep calm and steadiness within.We begin with ritual and breath, recognising the breath itself as a gift. As the rhythm of breathing settles, attention rests at the quiet point where the in-breath and out-breath meet. From here, we travel gently inward, toward a place of stillness and safety, a place where we can rest.The Inner Room is not somewhere we escape to, but somewhere we return to. Everything else the thoughts, sensations, and movements of the day can be allowed to pass like weather outside the house. What remains is calm presence.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you return to stillness and carry that quiet intention into the rest of your day.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:15 – The bell 01:46 – Ritual gesture 02:50 – Contact with the breath 03:35 – The breath as a gift 04:00 – Breathing in healing 05:20 – The meeting point of the breath 06:30 – Travelling inward to calm 07:51 – Resting in the Inner Room 08:13 – Weather outside the house 11:20 – Returning to the breath and surroundings 12:05 – Intention for the rest of the day 12:20 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to be gently present to arising thoughts, meeting them without judgement or resistance.For many people, thoughts can feel like the most difficult part of meditation. Today, we simply notice them. We ask quietly whether a thought is useful, without following it into story or analysis. Nothing needs to be pushed away. Each return to attention is already part of the practice.As we sit, the breath becomes a familiar companion, offering stability as thoughts come and go. Again and again, we return to the body and the breath, strengthening the simple capacity to be present.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you relate to thoughts with kindness, steadiness and ease.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:20 – Checking in with thoughts 00:25 – Why thoughts feel difficult 00:50 – Observing without judgement 01:15 – Which thoughts are useful 01:25 – Simply noticing thoughts 01:37 – The bell 03:00 – Meeting the breath as a companion 05:30 – Using the breath for stability 05:50 – What has my attention today 06:30 – Not creating a narrative 10:10 – Strengthening focused attention 10:40 – Returning to the body 11:50 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I introduce compassion as a direction of practice, and we begin with compassion toward ourselves.We reflect quietly on what compassion means, and on the truth that while suffering is part of being human, we can meet it with gentleness rather than struggle. Simply choosing to be here, to sit and attend, is already an act of compassion.As the practice unfolds, attention rests with the breath and with the body as a whole, allowing each part to soften and breathe. There is nothing to fix or change. Compassion arises naturally when we allow ourselves to be present just as we are.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you cultivate kindness, steadiness and peaceful awareness.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:30 – What compassion means 01:20 – Meeting suffering with gentleness 01:50 – The bell 03:00 – Choosing to be here as compassion 04:10 – Coming to know the breath 06:40 – Allowing the whole body to breathe 08:40 – Resting in the breath 10:35 – Peaceful breathing 12:00 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you into a body scan practice, learning to be gently present to sensation as it arises.We begin by noticing sensation itself, without judgement or analysis. Attention is then drawn to the foot, exploring feelings of warmth, weight, contact and subtle movement. There is no right experience here. Sensation may feel clear or faint, active or quiet, and all of it belongs.As awareness moves through the body, the breath remains a steady companion, allowing us to return again to wholeness and balance. Sensation becomes a doorway into presence, helping the body rest and the mind settle.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, supporting grounding, stillness and embodied awareness.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – Noticing sensation 01:40 – The bell 05:20 – Bringing attention to the left foot 06:00 – Warmth and weight in the foot 07:30 – Contact and pressure 07:50 – Finding the pulse 10:30 – Moving awareness through the foot 11:37 – Returning to the whole body 12:30 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to return to the full form of the practice, coming back once again to what grounds and supports us.If this is your first time here, you’re very welcome. This meditation is part of a longer, cumulative practice, and these returning to form sessions help us reconnect with the foundations again and again. You’re welcome to join the practice as it is today, and if you’d like to go deeper, the earlier meditations in the archive lay out the journey step by step. If you’re curious about the tradition this practice comes from, you can also learn more about the life and work of the Capuchin community in the show notes.As we settle, imagery and breath gently guide the body into stillness. Tension is allowed to release, the breath moves through every part of us, and the whole inner system is invited to rest. From this place of calm, intention is formed quietly and carried forward into the day.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you return to steadiness, ease and quiet awareness.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction and welcome 00:45 – The bell 02:00 – The string imagery 04:30 – The tide of the breath 05:15 – Breathing with every cell 05:30 – Breathing out tension and stress 07:00 – The body’s systems coming to rest 12:00 – Forming an intention 12:36 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to rest in loving presence, allowing yourself to be attended to just as you are.We begin by exploring what rest truly means, and by finding a gentle way into it. As the body settles into form and the breath is noticed, awareness begins to soften. Gradually, we enter a more relaxed and balanced state, where effort eases and stillness becomes familiar.This is a time of renewal. Resting in calm is something the body learns slowly, with patience and kindness. There is no hurry here, only an invitation to remain, to be present, and to allow stillness to hold you.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, supporting rest, renewal and quiet presence.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:15 – What is rest 01:05 – Finding a way into rest 01:15 – The bell 01:45 – Finding the form 02:10 – Noticing the breath 04:45 – The cycle of breathing 05:15 – Entering relaxed awareness 05:25 – Balanced unity 06:15 – Resting in calm 06:25 – A time of renewal 09:15 – Teaching the body to rest 09:30 – The art of resting 09:45 – Patience 11:15 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I introduce a master lesson drawn from the wisdom of St. Teresa of Avila, a great teacher of interior life.We reflect on a common mistake made by beginners: the belief that meditation is about changing ourselves or achieving a particular state. Teresa reminds us instead that while everything else changes, what remains constant is that we are loved, and nothing alters that truth.As we sit, intention helps us arrive gently into presence, a presence that meets us exactly as we are. With trust, tension is allowed to dissolve, and we rest in what Teresa described as calm abiding. The breath, the first gift given to us, becomes our steady companion once more.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest in trust, stillness and quiet love.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 01:00 – Introducing St. Teresa of Avila 02:00 – A common misconception 03:30 – What remains unchanged 04:00 – Being loved without condition 04:20 – The bell 05:00 – Arriving into trust 05:20 – A loving presence as we are 05:42 – Intention and deep stillness 06:10 – Calm abiding 07:00 – The gift of the breath 07:30 – The beauty of breathing 10:00 – Breathing in and out 11:00 – Resting in the breath 12:00 – Returning gently 12:30 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to hone inner attention, resting with the presence that is already here.This practice is not about making anything happen or asking for an experience to arrive. Instead, we allow the present moment to become the place of encounter, where attention and love are not separate, but one. Change, when it comes, comes quietly, from within.As we sit, we notice sensations and thoughts as they arise, breathing them in gently and letting them go on the out-breath. Again and again, awareness is anchored in the breath and in the moment at hand, discovering a steadiness that remains even as everything else changes.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest in stillness, presence and quiet love.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:30 – The heart of this practice 00:50 – The bell 01:15 – Entering sacred time 02:20 – The present moment as meeting place 02:35 – When change happens 03:20 – The life within 05:20 – Understanding the moment fully 05:50 – Stability amid change 07:00 – Breathing in and letting go 08:55 – Anchoring in the breath 09:40 – Awareness of breath and moment 11:10 – Setting intention for the day 11:40 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to hone outer attention by gently reflecting on a single, ordinary object.We begin by settling into the body and the rhythm of the breath, allowing awareness to become steady and grounded. From there, attention is brought to the object itself, noticing its texture, sound, appearance and presence, without analysis or judgement.As the practice deepens, we reflect quietly on the object’s story, what it means to us, or perhaps that it means nothing at all. Either way is enough. Attention is then returned to the breath and the body, resting once more in simplicity and presence.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you cultivate attentiveness, gratitude and quiet awareness of the world around you.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:35 – Choosing an object 01:03 – The bell 01:33 – Returning awareness to the body 01:57 – The rhythm of the breath 04:30 – Attending to the object through the senses 06:00 – The history of the object 06:50 – Will it exist after me 07:50 – What the object means to you 08:06 – When it means nothing 10:10 – Trusting the breath 10:38 – Feet grounded, body supported 10:58 – Intending gratitude and awareness 11:15 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to explore different types of attention — sensory, outer, inner, breath and spiritual — and how each can gently deepen our practice.We begin by resting in a state of relaxed awareness, allowing attention to be brought to bear without strain or effort. From here, we notice the senses as gateways into the present moment, before widening awareness to include inner experience, the rhythm of the breath, and a quieter spiritual attention.Nothing needs to be forced or held tightly. Attention is allowed to move and settle naturally, guided by intention and supported by stillness.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you cultivate clarity, steadiness and gentle awareness.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:15 – Relaxed awareness 00:35 – Bringing awareness to bear 01:55 – The bell 02:30 – The five types of attention 03:00 – Intending awareness of the senses 03:30 – Hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching 04:40 – Honing attention 06:40 – Noticing background sounds 07:40 – Inner attention 08:40 – Outer attention 10:20 – Spiritual attention 12:25 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to return to the full basic form, the foundation that quietly supports all of our practice.These returning meditations are here to help us come back to what is essential. If you are new, you are very welcome to join the practice as it is today. And if you wish to go deeper, the earlier meditations in the archive lay out this practice from the beginning, step by step.As we settle, the body is allowed to soften and relax, gradually and without effort. Simple affirmations remind us that we are more than body, more than thoughts and feelings, and that a deeper centre of awareness remains steady beneath it all.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest again in stillness and carry that intention gently into the hours ahead.Chapters 00:00 – Welcome back 00:15 – Returning to the archive and foundations 00:56 – The bell 03:15 – The body softening and relaxing 05:45 – Relaxation moving through the body 07:15 – I have a body, but I am more than my body 08:14 – Noticing judgement without curiosity 08:28 – I have feelings, but I am more than my thoughts 09:45 – I am I 10:10 – Resting in the centre of the breath 11:15 – Carrying the intention into the day 11:40 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I return with you to the two complementary modes of practice: discursive and passive meditation, and how they work together over time.I reflect on why both forms are necessary, and how practices such as the rosary can help us understand this movement between intention and rest. Discursive prayer gives shape and direction, while passive meditation allows us to receive, to settle, and to be held.We come gently into stillness, using the body as a place of awareness, beginning with the hands and the simple experience of openness. As intention is named and held lightly, a word or versiculum may be added, allowing the practice to rest again in love and presence.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, supporting stillness, openness and quiet awareness.Chapters00:00 – Introduction00:10 – Discursive and passive meditation00:40 – Why both forms are needed00:50 – The rosary as meditative prayer02:10 – A direction for this practice02:40 – The bell03:00 – Coming to stillness03:50 – Awareness of the palms05:30 – Experiencing openness in the hands06:40 – Releasing the hands07:10 – Sensation and tingling07:20 – The intention to feel07:50 – An intention of openness08:10 – Naming the divine09:20 – Introducing the versiculum10:30 – Resting in love11:40 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I invite you to explore intentionality — the quiet direction of the mind and heart that gives shape and energy to our practice.We reflect on what it means to hold an intention: not as effort or striving, but as a gentle desire that something might be, for ourselves or for another. As intention gathers our inner faculties, attention naturally settles, and the breath becomes a steady companion.Resting with the rhythm of breathing, where the out-breath becomes the in-breath, we allow awareness to fill the whole body. Intention is not forced here; it is simply held, present in the here and now.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, supporting clarity, steadiness and quiet presence.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:15 – Exploring intentionality 01:22 – Gathering the inner faculties 01:42 – Holding an intention for others or yourself 02:07 – Intention as something that unfolds 03:10 – The bell 05:52 – Finding the rhythm of the breath 06:08 – Where the out-breath becomes the in-breath 07:52 – Breathing with every cell 09:09 – Resting in the here and now 10:52 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this meditation, I introduce the four directions of meditative practice — intention, attention, compassion and wisdom — as simple guides for deepening our prayer and meditation.We begin by taking our seat and making a clear, gentle intention. From there, attention is invited to rest with the breath, allowing calmness and steadiness to grow without effort. As the practice unfolds, we open deliberately to compassion and to the presence of love, holding the body in stillness and stability.These four directions are not steps to complete, but orientations we return to again and again. They help us practise with clarity and kindness, allowing wisdom to emerge naturally over time.This daily guided meditation offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, supporting stillness, presence and gentle awareness.Chapters 00:00 – Introduction 00:10 – The four directions of meditative practice 01:13 – The bell 01:25 – Taking the seat 02:40 – Making an intention 04:00 – Practice arising from intention 05:20 – Bringing attention to the breath 06:05 – Breathing in peace and love 06:10 – Calmness 08:25 – Entering the presence of love 09:09 – Holding stillness and stability 11:04 – Returning to awareness 11:17 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.