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.
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