Cynics out there will already be sighing at the thought of another weight loss/muscles gain/healthy lifestyle guarantee, but this is not a scam, this is Budokon, a new form of exercise whose devotees already include Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox and Meg Ryan, as well as several Olympic athletes – I had to have a go.

I am not going to lie, before being contacted by Caroline Walker, one of only two qualified instructors in the United Kingdom, I would have guessed that Budokon was some sort new Japanese cartoon, but within five minutes of getting myself kitted up and on the mat I realised it was no laughing matter and instead it was incredibly tough and left sweat dripping from my brow.

To say it wasn't a laughing matter does not mean it wasn't fun, in fact it was more fun than I could ever have imagined – being able to hold my own body weight before releasing a potentially lethal kick left me with a huge feeling of self satisfaction. The perfect way to deal with the stresses of work!

As I said, I had no idea of what to expect when I arrived at Newtown's Fit 4 Life Gym, but Caroline was on hand to guide me through my first hour of Budokon.

After whipping my trainers off I was given a floor mat opposite hers and she gently limbered me up through a series of stretches and meditation routines.

As I closed my eyes and tried losing my thoughts I began to wonder what all the fuss was about – the moral here is, never jump to conclusions, as Caroline quickly set about making me perform a number of Budokon yogic movements combined with a cardiovascular martial arts workout.

First up was the 'rolling wave' – an (ideally) flowing movement from 'downward dog', an inverted forward bend, to 'upward-facing dog', a press-up-like pose with the chest lifted.

In fact nearly all the moves we did were named after animals, Caroline explained: "Over hundreds of years humans have neglected their arms and just walk on two legs. Budokon is designed to get you working all the muscles in your body, just like an animal does."

That was just for starters. Next I was taken through Rolling Lunge, Dancing Dog, Roll to Crow, Kicking Lion, Kicking Lion with Back Hook Kick and Fighting Warrior Two.

I may have done all of these moves with less gravity-defying grace than Caroline but somehow, despite my arms wanting to give way from time-to-time, I completed each move.

We then did a number of floor movements, including Komodo Dragon, and Bullfrog, which saw us both race along the floor in the fashion of lizards.

The session ended with a relaxation period, where I would lie down on the mat and once again forget any troubles I may have.

I had only been practicing the art of Budokon for an hour but already I was beginning to become less cynical towards meditation.

It did help me relax and once my breathing pattern returned to normal it was becoming increasing difficult to stay awake. I was soon reminded that I had to get back to work!

For those wanting to try their hand (and every other muscle in your body) at Budokon, Caroline holds classes at Llanidloes Sports Centre on Wednesday between 10am and 11.30am, and Thursday between 5.30pm and 7pm. She also holds a session at Newtown's Fit 4 Life Gym on Wednesday between 7.15pm and 8.30pm.

Everyone is welcome and the classes are suitable for all fitness levels. For further information, please contact Caroline on 01686 413735 or email budokonwales@hotmail.co.uk

Please note that there will no be classes taking place on June 25 and 26 because Caroline will be running a number of Budokon workshops at Glastonbury Festival.

* If you have a challenge for the County Times' intrepid reporter Richard Jones why not contact him on 01938 557332 or email richard.jones@countytimes.co.uk