Are you unable to concentrate on one thing for any length of time and yet your mind races, so undermining your performance?

For those in the Square Mile it is hardly surprising recent events have left them similarly distracted, especially with jobs on the line.

But now help is at hand in the form of 50-minute meditation classes aimed at stressed-out City workers. Starting on Wednesday at St Giles' Cripplegate in the Barbican, the classes, run by Vincent Baasch of consultancy The Third Factor, are the latest evidence that meditation is becoming increasingly deployed by big business to encourage better performance.

Baasch's classes include a 15-minute history of meditation, followed by two 15-minute exercises. The focus is on breath control. 'Meditation has been big in the US for years,' said Baasch. 'The main benefit is stress release and relaxation. Once you get seriously into it, it becomes a skill, a workout for the mind.'

Firms as varied as Reebok and PricewaterhouseCoopers encourage their workers to meditate.