The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard

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The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard is a short daily podcast offering stillness, clarity and spiritual grounding - a moment of calm in a busy, noisy world. Hosted by Brother Richard, a Capuchin Franciscan friar and meditation teacher, each episode draws on the Christian monastic contemplative tradition, one of the oldest continuous meditative practice in the world. With warmth, simplicity and deep humanity, Brother Richard offers reflections and guided meditations shaped for modern life. These meditations are open to people of all faiths, and to those with none. No belief is required - only a few quiet minutes and a willingness to pause, breathe and be present, whether taking a pause during the day or winding down before sleep. Brother Richard belongs to the Capuchin community in Dublin, Ireland, where a life of prayer and meditation has been practiced every day for over 400 years. This podcast carries that living tradition forward, translating ancient wisdom into a form that speaks to contemporary experience. To find out more about the Capuchins’ work visit: https://capuchindaycentre.ie/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 23H AGO

    The Inner Room as Inner Sanctuary

    In this episode, Brother Richard deepens the exploration of the inner room, describing it as an inner sanctuary — a place of safety, refuge and rest. He reflects on the meaning of sanctuary as a space where nothing is demanded and nothing needs to be defended. Meditation itself becomes this sanctuary, a place to enter with intention, gentleness and trust. Listeners are guided to prepare the body and breath, and to move gradually into stillness. Through imagery of thresholds and inner chambers, the practice invites a resting in peace, presence and unconditional love. Fear gives way to safety, and the breath becomes a steady companion as awareness settles into quiet wholeness. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you return to a deep sense of safety, peace and inner refuge. 00:00 – Introduction 00:40 – The inner room as inner sanctuary 01:18 – Sanctuary as a place of safety 01:40 – Meditation as sanctuary 02:00 – Making an intention 02:20 – Ritual gesture 02:35 – The bell 02:50 – Entering stillness 03:46 – Opening the breath 04:05 – Noticing the breath 04:49 – Breathing in peace 06:35 – Following the breath inward 07:05 – Nothing to fear 07:20 – Entering unconditional love 07:30 – A doorway or threshold 08:10 – Resting in love 08:20 – I am I 09:20 – Receiving peace and love 10:04 – Three breaths of rest 11:40 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    12 min

  2. 3D AGO

    The Inner Room as Hibernaculum

    In this episode, Brother Richard explores the image of the inner room as a hibernaculum — a place of shelter, safety and deep restoration. Drawing on the natural world, he reflects on how animals create a protected space to pass through winter, and how we too can learn to cultivate an inner chamber of warmth, stability and nourishment. Through gentle guidance, listeners are invited to welcome the body, settle with the breath, and rest in a place of inner safety and peace. The practice encourages returning to this inner room again and again, not as withdrawal from life, but as a source of renewal that allows us to re-enter the day with steadiness and kindness. A simple intention carries this peace outward, accompanied by warmth and a quiet smile. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest deeply and restore what has been worn thin. 00:00 – Introduction 00:50 – What is a hibernaculum 01:13 – How animals pass through winter 01:55 – Beginning the practice 02:25 – The bell 02:43 – Welcoming the body 05:05 – Breathing in and breathing out 07:35 – Imagining the inner chamber 08:05 – The image of the bear in the cave 09:20 – Returning to the breath 09:55 – Setting an intention of peace 11:20 – Offering yourself a smile 11:45 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    12 min

  3. 4D AGO

    Entering the Inner Room

    In this episode, Brother Richard explores the invitation to enter the inner room — a timeless contemplative image for turning inward and resting in stillness. He reflects on how meditation draws us away from distraction and into a quieter, more spacious awareness, where peace, light and presence can be encountered. Listeners are gently guided to rest at the centre of awareness, discovering a place of calm that is not created, but already held. The practice encourages returning to this inner space regularly, not as an escape from daily life, but as a way of meeting it with greater steadiness and clarity. Breath becomes the bridge in and out of this inner room, supporting a gentle return to the present moment. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest in stillness, light and quiet presence. 00:00 – Introduction 01:34 – Entering the inner room 01:45 – Ritual gesture 01:50 – Setting intention 02:03 – The bell 06:50 – Perfect peace and perfect light 07:20 – Stepping into the inner chamber 07:39 – Held in being by love 08:00 – Resting in light, love and peace 08:25 – Resting at the centre of awareness 08:55 – Intending to return often 10:00 – Returning through the breath 10:55 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  4. 5D AGO

    Discursive and Passive Meditation

    In this episode, Brother Richard explores the difference between discursive and passive meditation, and asks a central contemplative question: where does transformation take place? He reflects on stillness and quietude, and on the different forms meditation can take, before guiding listeners into a simple hand scanning practice. Through gentle attention to sensation, absence of sensation, and subtle awareness, the hands become a doorway into deeper presence. This practice invites a softening of effort and a turning towards passive awareness, where change happens not through control, but through attentive being. The hands, so familiar and so often unnoticed, reveal how transformation unfolds quietly within awareness itself. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest in stillness and allow change to emerge naturally. 00:00 – Introduction 00:07 – Stillness and quietude 01:45 – Comparing different forms of meditation 02:19 – Ritual gesture 02:35 – The bell 03:45 – Areas of sensation 04:15 – Blank areas 04:40 – Checking in with the hands 07:25 – Being with the left hand 07:45 – Being with the right hand 07:58 – Deepening awareness 08:30 – The ball of the thumb 10:05 – Washing the hands 11:10 – Closing reflection Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  5. 6D AGO

    Why We Recover Regularly

    In this episode, Brother Richard reflects on why regular recovery is essential in meditation, returning once again to the Deep Relaxation Form. Rather than seeing relaxation as something to achieve once and move beyond, he explains why the contemplative tradition places such importance on repeatedly coming back to rest. Listeners are gently guided into a posture of ease, allowing the body to settle, the breath to find its rhythm, and awareness to open to both receiving and giving. Through simple imagery and bodily awareness, the practice invites lightness, cooling and release, reminding us that recovery is not a failure of practice, but its foundation. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you restore balance, steadiness and quiet presence. 00:00 – Introduction 00:45 – The bell 00:55 – Ritual gesture 01:35 – Assuming the position 02:20 – Allowing the body to rest 03:10 – Awareness of the breath 03:40 – The rhythm of breathing 04:10 – What you are receiving 04:25 – What you are giving 05:10 – Light filling the body 05:55 – A cool pool in the stomach 07:35 – Relaxing the jaw 08:20 – Breathing in 09:10 – Breathing in and out 09:15 – Breathing out 10:42 – Bringing the practice into the day 10:45 – Closing bell 11:00 – Thank you Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    11 min

  6. JAN 5

    The Versiculum (The Little Word)

    In this episode, Brother Richard introduces the versiculum, often described as the little word, a simple and ancient mantra practice rooted in the Christian contemplative tradition. Drawing on the teaching of the Desert Fathers and early monastic writers such as John Cassian, John Climacus and Evagrius, he explains how a short word or phrase can steady attention and gently gather the mind. Listeners are guided to choose a word that carries meaning without strain, and to repeat it lightly, alongside awareness of the breath. The practice is not about analysing the word or turning it into narrative, but allowing it to settle and, in time, even to fall away. What remains is a quieter awareness, held by breath and presence. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you rest more deeply in simplicity and stillness. 00:00 – Introduction 01:10 – What is a mantra 01:38 – The versiculum 02:16 – Early monastic teaching 02:35 – A traditional versiculum 03:05 – The final word of scripture 04:00 – Choosing a simple word 04:09 – Choosing the name of Jesus 04:35 – Taking time to choose 04:55 – Ritual gesture 05:03 – The bell 05:50 – Finding posture 05:55 – Awareness of the breath 06:20 – Resting with the breath 07:05 – Becoming aware of thoughts 10:29 – Being with the breath and the word 10:40 – Avoiding narrative 11:11 – Repeating the word gently 11:50 – Allowing the word to fade 13:50 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    14 min

  7. JAN 1

    Encountering the Thoughts (Part Two)

    In this episode, Brother Richard deepens the practice of working with thoughts, exploring how to examine them without becoming caught in them. He explains how, within the Christian contemplative tradition, a thought in itself carries no moral weight until it is acted upon. Listeners are introduced to different kinds of thoughts including imaginal, emotional, analytical, desiring and egoic, and are guided to recognise how each pulls attention in different ways. Rather than suppressing thoughts, the practice invites gentle noticing, simple categorisation and a compassionate return to the breath. Again and again, awareness is restored by remembering that we are more than our thoughts, and more than the stories they create. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you relate to your inner world with greater freedom, clarity and ease. 00:00 – Introduction 00:30 – A thought is just a thought 03:00 – Finding ways to move forward 03:50 – Desire and fantasy 04:07 – Egoic thoughts and the self 04:27 – God as the centre 05:14 – Setting intention 05:33 – The bell 05:50 – Coming to sit 07:10 – Becoming aware again 08:20 – Noticing and naming thoughts 09:30 – Categorising thoughts 11:10 – Returning to the breath 11:30 – I am more than my thoughts 13:46 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    14 min

  8. JAN 1

    Recovering the Deep Relaxation Form

    In this episode, Brother Richard returns to the Deep Relaxation Form, the foundational practice that underpins all breath-based meditation. He reflects on why this form was traditionally treated with such care, and why early contemplative teachers believed it was essential to establish deep relaxation before moving further. The ability to return easily and reliably to this state, he explains, provides a stable ground for working with the breath, thoughts and awareness. Listeners are guided back into the body through posture, gentle alignment of the spine, and a simple mantra that reinforces spaciousness and perspective. The practice emphasises ease rather than effort, reminding us that relaxation is not something to force, but something to recover. This episode offers a moment of calm, whether you are pausing during the day or winding down before sleep, helping you reconnect with a sense of safety, steadiness and inner rest. 00:00 – Introduction 00:43 – The origins of the deep relaxation form 01:50 – Why this practice is the foundation 02:45 – The bell 03:25 – Lengthening the spine 09:35 – A mantra for spacious awareness 12:35 – Closing bell Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

    13 min
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About

The Daily Meditation with Brother Richard is a short daily podcast offering stillness, clarity and spiritual grounding - a moment of calm in a busy, noisy world. Hosted by Brother Richard, a Capuchin Franciscan friar and meditation teacher, each episode draws on the Christian monastic contemplative tradition, one of the oldest continuous meditative practice in the world. With warmth, simplicity and deep humanity, Brother Richard offers reflections and guided meditations shaped for modern life. These meditations are open to people of all faiths, and to those with none. No belief is required - only a few quiet minutes and a willingness to pause, breathe and be present, whether taking a pause during the day or winding down before sleep. Brother Richard belongs to the Capuchin community in Dublin, Ireland, where a life of prayer and meditation has been practiced every day for over 400 years. This podcast carries that living tradition forward, translating ancient wisdom into a form that speaks to contemporary experience. To find out more about the Capuchins’ work visit: https://capuchindaycentre.ie/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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