The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard

In this meditation, I bring our journey with the prophet Elijah to a close, completing the contemplative map offered by his encounter at the cave.
Across this series, we have explored the storm as an image of distracting thoughts, the fire as the desires that pull us away from the reality of the present moment, and the earthquake as the false identities and personas we accumulate through life.
Now we move beyond each of these and towards the destination of Elijah’s journey: the still small voice that reveals the presence of the divine.
Entering the cave of the heart through awareness of the breath, we practise allowing thoughts to pass without feeding them with our attention. We release false identities and rest instead in the truth of our own being. We notice desire without judgement or attachment and allow it too to fade.
Beyond the storm, earthquake and fire, we discover stillness — and within that stillness, what I describe as the breath behind the breath: the divine yes of love and presence at the centre of our being.
This meditation completes our Elijah series with a practice of deep stillness, surrender and contemplative awareness, inviting us to live more consciously from the cave of the heart.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Completing Elijah’s journey
01:42 – Entering the cave of the heart
02:28 – The breath as our path inward
02:57 – The storm of distracting thoughts
03:25 – Becoming the eye of the storm
04:09 – Letting thoughts pass without attachment
04:34 – Moving deeper into stillness
04:58 – The earthquake of false identity
05:37 – Resting in the truth of our being
06:13 – Grounded in divine love
06:56 – The fire of desire
07:45 – Allowing desire to fade
08:05 – Passing the three gates
08:14 – Entering complete stillness
08:29 – The breath behind the breath
08:49 – The still small voice
09:24 – Living attuned to divine presence
10:09 – The divine breath within all things
10:47 – Living from the cave of the heart
11:26 – The threefold lesson
12:10 – Returning to the body
12:35 – Closing bell
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In this meditation, I use the image of falling autumn leaves to reflect on change, release and the beauty that can be found in letting go.
We begin by settling into the body and breath before visualising a tree as autumn arrives. Its green leaves gradually turn to gold, red and bronze before the tree naturally releases them to the wind.
Following the journey of a single leaf from branch to forest floor, we reflect on one of autumn’s great lessons: there is a time to hold on and a time to let go. In nature, letting go is not simply an ending. The fallen leaf becomes part of the nourishment and protection that makes new life possible.
From this place of stillness, we gently ask whether there is anything in our own lives that we are clinging to and may now need to release. We do not force an answer, but allow the question to rest within the stability of meditation and the certainty of divine love.
This autumn meditation offers a gentle practice for accepting change, releasing what no longer serves us and recognising the possibility of new beginnings within our endings.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: The autumn leaf
00:49 – Entering sacred stillness
01:33 – Being supported by the earth
02:01 – The rhythm of the breath
02:38 – Visualising the autumn tree
03:29 – Gold, red and bronze leaves
04:09 – Watching the leaves begin to fall
04:55 – Following a single autumn leaf
05:16 – The beauty of letting go
06:09 – Every ending contains a beginning
06:26 – Releasing what no longer serves us
06:53 – What am I clinging to?
07:44 – Letting go within divine love
07:56 – The seed of a new beginning
08:06 – Holding the autumn leaf
08:29 – Returning the leaf to the earth
08:41 – Returning to the breath
09:04 – Learning from the trees
09:29 – Closing bell
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In this meditation, I begin a new series exploring meditation with Mary, who within the Franciscan tradition is regarded as a profound example and teacher of prayer and contemplation.
The Scriptures tell us that Mary “pondered all of these things in her heart.” Her example offers us another way of meeting the events of our own lives — not simply reacting to them, but creating a space in which they can be held with reflection, awareness and grace.
After settling into the present moment through the breath, we bring to mind something in our own life that feels mysterious, difficult or unresolved. Rather than immediately analysing it or becoming caught in our emotional response, we practise seeing it from a little distance and allowing it to rest within the stillness of meditation.
We ask what this experience might teach us, what wisdom might emerge from it and how it might deepen our capacity for compassion and love. If it feels comfortable, we invite Mary to sit with us in this space and to help us ponder the experience gently.
This meditation offers a contemplative practice for moving from reaction towards reflection, creating space for wisdom, discernment, peace and new understanding.
Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Meditating with Mary
00:51 – Entering the present moment
01:28 – Settling into stillness
02:05 – Mary, Mother of Life
02:48 – Pondering things in the heart
03:18 – The mysteries of our own lives
04:09 – Moving from reaction to reflection
04:50 – Creating space for grace
05:42 – Bringing an experience to mind
06:20 – Seeing the experience from a distance
07:02 – What can this moment teach me?
07:51 – Pondering without judgement
08:18 – Inviting Mary into the experience
08:42 – What wisdom might emerge?
09:14 – Resting in the presence of the Mother
09:49 – Handing over the experience
10:29 – Returning to the breath and body
11:16 – Closing bell
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In this meditation, I return once again to the basic form of relaxation and meditation.

Returning to the foundations of our practice can help deepen our meditative discipline, remind the body how to enter stillness and strengthen what we might call our meditation muscles. It is also an ideal place to begin if meditation is new to you.

We start with a simple ritual gesture before becoming aware of the support beneath the body, relaxing our posture and allowing the breath to settle naturally into the belly. From there, we gently ask ourselves how we are — first in the body, and then in our thoughts and feelings.

As tension begins to soften, we move towards the still point between the breaths and the deeper awareness that exists beyond the changing experiences of body, thought and emotion.

This meditation offers a simple reset and a return to the essential foundations of contemplative practice: body, breath, awareness and stillness.

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Recovering the form
00:55 – Beginning with intention
01:16 – A ritual gesture to begin
01:55 – Finding a supported posture
02:50 – Relaxing and lengthening the body
03:52 – Awareness of the breath
04:54 – How am I in this moment?
05:28 – Releasing tension from the body
06:27 – Breathing in warmth, calm and peace
06:52 – Relaxing the whole body
07:55 – I am more than my body
08:31 – Awareness of thoughts and feelings
09:15 – I am more than my thoughts and feelings
09:46 – The still point between breaths
10:15 – A centre of consciousness and will
11:08 – Resting in stillness
11:52 – Returning to the body
12:30 – Closing bell
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In this meditation, we return to the ancient contemplative practice of Lectio Divina, or divine reading, using one of the most familiar phrases from the Christian tradition: “The Lord is my shepherd.”
Lectio Divina invites us to remain with a short piece of sacred text rather than simply reading or analysing it. By gently repeating and exploring its words, the thinking mind is given an anchor while deeper awareness is allowed to move towards stillness.
After settling into the body and breath, we begin with the words of Psalm 23: “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” We slowly explore the phrase, resting first with the image of the Lord and then with the shepherd as an image of care, protection and presence.
Finally, we reflect on the words “I shall not want” as an expression of trust before allowing the phrase itself to become quiet and returning to simple awareness of the breath.
This meditation offers a gentle practice of Lectio Divina, Christian meditation and contemplative prayer centred on trust, divine presence and the familiar words of Psalm 23.

Chapters:
00:00 – Introduction: Lectio Divina and Psalm 23
01:28 – Opening bell
01:43 – Entering stillness
02:52 – Anchoring in the breath
04:11 – The Lord is my shepherd
04:39 – Resting with the words “The Lord”
05:42 – The image of the shepherd
06:28 – Shepherded by grace
07:23 – I shall not want
08:26 – Divine love as protector and provider
09:15 – Noticing our reactions to the phrase
09:47 – Returning to the sacred words
10:22 – Allowing the phrase to become silent
11:04 – Carrying the words into the day
11:43 – The Lord is my shepherd
12:13 – Closing bell

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