Completing Your Meditation: A Conscious Conclusion

The end of the meditation is the fourth and final stage. Sure you can jump up and run out the door, if necessary, but it is beneficial to bring your meditation to a close with the same reverence as you entered it. Allow yourself to complete your mediation with conscious conclusion.

In the conscious conclusion of your meditation, it is important to:

Rest:  When you reach the state of being, or inner peace, if even for a moment, it can be an exquisite experience.  It is considered the “peak experience” for that time of meditation.  Whenever possible, it is nice to allow enough time in your practice to reach this state and simply rest for awhile in the experience of being.  This will have a calming, clearing effect on your entire body and mind.

Return:  The process of returning your full awareness to your body, mind and environment should be a gradual one.  After experiencing meditative states of consciousness, “grounding” cannot be overemphasized in its importance.  It is critical to fully return to your attentive state of consciousness to avoid accidents or injuries after the meditation.

Extend:  You can utilize the benefits derived from your meditation practice and apply them to your daily life.  Although you bring your full consciousness back to your body and mind as you return to your “real life” after your meditation, be sure to take a moment to consciously extend the peacefulness, clarity or other beneficial effects into your day.

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The four stages of meditation are discussed in four consecutive articles: 
Stage 1 – Your Approach to Meditation 
Stage 2 – Using a Meditation Technique 
Stage 3 – The Experience of Meditative Awareness
And this article about Stage 4 - Completing Your Meditation: A Conscious Conclusion