Meditation is coming to fitness clubs. This is a response to the overstimulation of society.
According to a survey commissioned by Benefit Systems, one in five people in Poland experiences stress every day or almost every day. In the realities of a constantly accelerating world, practices that support mental balance are becoming a particularly desirable good. We also seek relaxation in nearby fitness clubs, where the latest trend is meditation and relaxation training.
In times when overstimulation is considered one of the main ailments of civilisation, for many a moment of silence during training can be a luxury. The latest Benefit Systems survey shows that one in five people in Poland experiences stress every day or almost every day and 47% of Polish residents feel overloaded with information, notifications, and other signals from their surroundings. Overstimulation affects women the most: as many as 54% of them declare that they experience overstimulation often or very often.
Exercise experts have noticed that more club members expect fitness clubs to provide support for their mental health. The people of Poland want to regain balance, learn to let go, and feel a peace that stays with them longer.
– Our club members have started to expect more than the standard five minutes of relaxation at the end of a fitness class – says Magdalena Szwed, Product Development Director at Benefit Systems Fitness Unit, including the Zdrofit and Fabryka Formy networks. – This trend, increasingly visible throughout the fitness industry, responds to the real needs of modern people: fatigue, overstimulation, and mental tension. Our data shows that four out of ten of our club members include low-intensity training in their sports calendar.
Currently, body & mind fitness classes, which combine care for the body with attention to psychophysical wellbeing, are gaining the status not so much of a fashionable addition but of a permanent format in sports facilities. A perfect example of this trend is meditation, which has found its way into the schedules of one of the largest fitness networks in Poland.
– We begin the class with a short warm-up of the joints, the aim of which is to prepare the body for the meditation position – says Marta Kowalczyk, yoga teacher and trainer at the Zdrofit Academy. – A key element of the programme is relaxation, which helps calm the nervous system, calm the mind and relieve muscle tension. It can also be a valuable addition to therapy for depression or anxiety disorders. During classes, we use a variety of relaxation techniques, including Schultz’s autogenic training, which aims to gradually achieve a state of relaxation by focusing attention on bodily sensations, and Jacobson’s progressive relaxation, which is based on alternating muscle tension and relaxation.
Until recently, meditation was associated exclusively with Eastern spirituality. Today it’s a completely different story. Meditation moved from monasteries to homes, shed its spiritual disguise and became one of the most effective tools of mental hygiene. Music accompanying meditation is gaining millions of views on streaming platforms. It is therefore no wonder that its techniques are increasingly finding their way into training spaces. In fitness clubs, participants of meditation classes learn how to work with the vagus nerve.
– Exercises that engage the vagus nerve, the main “control cord” of the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for reducing nervous system arousal, help calm the heart rate, improve digestion, quite down emotions, and increase the sense of security – says Paweł Habrat, a sports and social psychologist. – Athletes use these techniques before competition, for recovery, and to cope with pressure. If an athlete can regulate their arousal, their body functions more efficiently, but this relationship can be transferred to the everyday life of every person.
Neuroscientists confirm that conscious breathing, which is an essential part of meditation, reduces the activity of the amygdala, the fear centre of the brain, and activates the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for the resting state. To put it simply: the calmer breathing, the less inner chaos.
– I like to compare these classes to nervous system training because during them, club members learn to work with physical and emotional tensions – says Magdalena Szwed. – These are activities that calm the body and at the same time strengthen mental resilience. They start slowly: the instructor shows a few simple movements to relax the muscles, warm up the joints, and allow the body to let go. Then comes the breathing work – calm, rhythmic, conducted in such a way as to gradually reduce stress levels and stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, responsible for regeneration.
Such classes are also an excellent way to help deal with anxiety disorders. In Poland, depending on the source, between 1.5 and 2 million adults suffer from anxiety disorders. According to Social Insurance Institution (ZUS) data, in 2022 alone, over 218,800 sick leaves were issued for this reason, which translated into 4.2 million days of absence from work. And this is still just the tip of the iceberg. Most people struggling with anxiety do not make it into the statistics.
– The nervous system functions best when it has a balance between moments of activity and time for quieting down – says Paweł Habrat, a sports and social psychologist. – In today’s lifestyle, dominated by tension, rush and constant readiness to react, this balance is often disturbed. Calm forms of exercise help restore the body’s natural rhythm. During such activities, the brain and body stop receiving signals related to pressure or threat, which gradually reduces the level of arousal. This is very important because chronic overload of the nervous system weakens mental immunity, worsens sleep and affects overall wellbeing. Regular, gentle exercise helps reduce this burden, stabilises emotional responses, and supports recovery.
As Marta Kowalczyk, who leads meditation classes at Zdrofit clubs, adds, groups in relaxation-based classes are usually systematic. Perhaps the reason is that they are not focused on the outcome. It’s a subtle shift in mindset from “I need to burn calories” to “I want to catch my breath.”
– Research studies show that people who practise meditation experience increased alpha wave activity, which makes us feel relaxed and more at ease. It also increases our sense of happiness. Meditation helps us stop focusing on negative thoughts and distance ourselves from everyday problems. Interestingly, through meditation our prosocial qualities also develop. We become more attentive and therefore more empathetic. We understand other people’s emotions better, we are understanding, accepting and willing to forgive – adds Marta Kowalczyk.
Thanks to this, meditation is increasingly perceived as a permanent, consciously chosen element of wellbeing, supporting functioning in stressful everyday life. – This is definitely one of the fitness trends for 2026 – summarises Magdalena Szwed.
“Relaxation and Meditation” is a new format of classes in clubs belonging to Benefit Systems. They help reduce stress, tension and fatigue of everyday life effectively. Regular practice helps regain inner balance, improves concentration and has a positive effect on wellbeing. By combining relaxation, breathing and mindfulness techniques, classes regenerate the nervous system, reduce stress levels and improve sleep quality. “Relaxation and Meditation” is an excellent choice both as a complement to other physical activities and as a standalone method for deep relaxation, increased energy and regaining harmony in a busy everyday life. This is a space where you can take care of your mental and physical health, relax your body and build greater resilience to face the challenges of the day. More about classes: Zdrofit | Fabryka Formy | Fit Fabric | Fitness Academy | My Fitness Place
