Meditations of many types have been found to be beneficial to our health, but to enhance their benefit, there are practices we can perform before and after to increase the benefit and improve the odds of doing the meditations well. These are called preparatory practices.
As we said, meditation improves our health, but with Karma in mind (see Karma post), we can do more. Improving our own health and peace of mind is a good thing, but improving the world is even better. Meditation for ourselves alone could be considered selfish and might feed our Egos (see Ego post), especially if we meditate skillfully. Many meditators are proud of their lotus posture and how long they can sustain it, for example.
Can meditation improve the world? Certainly. If it puts us in a more peaceful state of mind, we will be more pleasant to be around for others: family, friends, coworkers, and people we encounter daily. This will improve their mood which will be more pleasant for their people, and so on in a “ripple effect.” Many of you have seen how anger can jump from person to person, like a virus. Love and caring works the same way. So if we make ourselves better, the world becomes better.
Intention is key in Karma (Western Tantra, 54), so to enhance our meditation, we should set our intention to help others at the beginning of any meditation session. This could be as simple as saying to yourself, “May my meditation benefit myself and others.” Or you can choose a dedication or prayer from your religion or life philosophy.
Meditations are highly susceptible to distractions as you well know. Phones can ring, children can interrupt, and bosses can say, “Get back to work!” Our own thoughts can disturb us. It is easier to meditate poorly than well. If it went well, it is a good idea to express gratitude to the universe that allowed our meditation to go well. For example, if you practice mindful driving meditation (Western Tantra, 94-95) you could end the session with the silent thought, “Thanks for letting us arrive home safely!” Even if your beliefs do not include a sentient universe or deity, it can’t hurt to be grateful. Feeling gratitude to forces beyond your control is better than congratulating yourself, which feeds the Ego, the beast we are trying to starve. What are your thoughts about preparatory and concluding practices?