It is vitally important when praying to concentrate on the meaning of the text. Before one tries to focus on the deep, kabbalistic meanings of the words, he must first accustom himself to the basic Kavana (intention), having in mind the plain meaning of the words as he recites them.
In particular, when one recites a Beracha, and articulates the Name of Hashem, he should do so with a feeling of awe of reverence, taking a brief moment to reflect that he is uttering G-d's Name. This is the Name with which Hashem created heaven and earth, and with which He revealed Himself to our ancestors at Mount Sinai. And when we recite a Beracha, we address Him directly – "Ata" – standing before Him and speaking. When we approach a great, prominent person, such as when we approach a great Torah sage to ask a question, we are overcome by awe and even a degree of dread, and it is sometimes even difficult to articulate what we want to ask. This should be our experience when we stand before Hashem, as well. Indeed, we begin the Amida prayer by asking, "Ado-nai Sefatai Tiftah" – that He open our mouths so we are able to pray. The need for this prayer to be able to pray shows that we should be filled with awe and reverence when we come before Hashem, to the point where, without His help, we would have difficulty speaking.
This sense of Yir'a – fear and reverence – must also be accompanied by a sense of Ahaba – profound love for Hashem. In many communities, it is customary to sway back and forth when praying ("Shuckle"), and Rav Shimon Schwab (1908-1995) explained that this movement symbolizes the balance between love and fear that must characterize the prayer experience. A person moves his body forward, symbolizing his drawing close to Hashem, but he then recoils, symbolizing his fear of Hashem, such that he needs to pull back and maintain a distance.
Taking a brief moment to reflect before uttering Hashem's Name is a proven way to help enhance one's concentration when reciting Berachot and when praying.
Each time we open our mouths to pray or recite a Beracha, we must take a moment also to appreciate the precious gift we have been given – the ability to give praise to Hashem. This gift is even greater than the gift of life itself. We human beings, as flawed and deficient as we are, are invited to come before the Creator, the King of the universe, and express praise. This is truly a special privilege, which we must never take for granted.
When we keep this in mind as we pray and recite Berachot, and concentrate on the meaning of the words, the experience is so much more meaningful and rewarding. We then develop within ourselves greater motivation to pray. As our Sages teach, "Misva Goreret Misva" – one Misva leads to another. When we invest effort to pray, we are more inspired to pray, leading to greater devotion to the Misva of Tefilla.
The Gemara in Masechet Baba Kama (30a) brings an opinion that to be a "Hasid," an especially pious person, one should make a special effort to recite Berachot properly, to pronounce the words slowly and with Kavana. Hacham Baruch Ben-Haim would teach us that each time we recite a Beracha, we should imagine "commas" in the text of the Beracha – after the word "Hashem," and after the word "Ha'olam." Making a slight pause after these words helps ensure that we recite the Beracha properly, and meaningfully, without mindlessly throwing the words from our mouth.
Rav Haim Vital (1542-1620) writes that his illustrious mentor, the Arizal, taught him to be especially vigilant with regard to several matters. One was avoiding anger, as the Arizal warned that anger is destructive to the soul, and can ruin all of one's spiritual accomplishments. (In fact, the Arizal taught that when one immerses in a Mikveh, he should intend primarily to rectify the harmful spiritual effects of anger.) The Arizal went so far as to warn that one should refrain from getting angry even for the sake of a Misva. Other areas the Arizal singled out include the intention to sanctify one's soul when learning Torah, pursuing the quality of humility, avoiding idle chatter, scrupulous observance of Shabbat, and entering the synagogue with a sense of respect and reverence. However, above all else, the Arizal warned about the unique importance of reciting Berachot properly, with Kavana, especially before eating or drinking. The Arizal explained that every food has spiritual impurities that must be removed before it can be safely be ingested, and these impurities are removed through the proper recitation of a Beracha. Just as we would never eat an apple before rinsing it to remove whatever dirt particles might be on its surface, similarly, we must not eat a food before eliminating the "particles" of spiritual filth, which we accomplish by properly reciting the Beracha.