Picture this: another overworked, stressed-out American office worker looks around at the combination of a sedentary desk job, constant bills, challenges in time management, and a general malaise, and figures it out: the lack of constructive physical activity is harming his or her productivity.  He or she joins a gym, gets into a fitness routine.  The workout helps: the new gym member reports feeling brighter in the mornings, and is having a better time sleeping.  But there's still the feeling that every minute is its own rush hour.

That's because a fitness routine doesn't always address another need that all of us have: the need for focus and relaxation.  It's a little harder to put into words than its counterpart (a need for physical exercise) but many fitness experts have seized on a solution that a lot of us are using for making fitness more than just a foot race.  That solution is meditation.

Meditation and inner focus grounds a workout.  It helps the individual think about what it means to be in the gym - or to be anywhere, really.  It establishes life as more than just a series of moments.

Now, those taking group classes in a gym can look for this grounding in an instructor or in a personal fitness trainer, or they can simply construct a good meditation program themselves that goes along wih their own fitness routine.  Most gyms have additional space for warm-ups, stretching, or whatever else the members do before or after a workout.  These spaces can also be good for meditation.

The first step in meditation is something you might call a "shift of focus".  That means withdrawing from the rat race, from that idea that external pressures are always around, and actively forgetting about the external, instead substituting an internal focus.  Just this simple step is a huge part of getting into a meditative state that you actually can keep for the duration of a workout.

A few more steps will help get you into a meditative zone.  The first is deep breathing or "watching your breath".  This means being deliberate about how you inhale and exhale, slowly, focusing on that process and blocking out external distractions.

Another is sitting with an erect spine, or in common terms, sitting up straight.  Scientists have told us that the spine has lots of different effects on the body, from circulation to comfort, as well as a specific delicate structure that is prone to wear and misuse.  (Elsewhere on this site, you can learn how to work the "core muscles" that support the spine, so that you have more natural protection for this very important body structure).  Practicing good posture is an important part of meditation.

Another main component is the mental aspect of letting yourself go into your internal state.  Some call this a "receptive conditioning" or "listening to yourself".  Whatever you call it, it is the key to good meditative focus.

Experts in the field of meditation also talk about holding a focus.  They suggest tools like a mantra (a slogan meant to provide focus, that a person says in his or her head but not out loud) or an object (like a candle flame).  There are also fitness aids like pilates rings, balance cushions and other gear that help the body focus on a task.  These can also be used for meditative periods that combine inner focus with working specific muscle groups.

The bottom line is that the menu of your meditative workout is up to you.  You can be on the elliptical, or on a mat in the darkest corner of the gym.  What matters is holding your focus and giving yourself a different mental experience.  One thing you don't want to hold, on the other hand, is your breath!  Fitness gurus have shown that holding your breath can lead to blood pressure spikes, and is counter-productive.  The key to meditation is to deliberately replace a rigid body and mind state with a more fluid one, thus temporarily shedding the pressures that lead to contracted muscle groups, tension in the back, or blocked energy.  Think about adding meditation to a fitness routine in any capacity, and you'll be adding a very important component, to make your gym routine into a true time out from stress and pressure.