I lay there.

Not moving, my eyes flickered closed and soon my breath became longer and louder.

Suddenly I was on a beach.  It looked like the clean, pretty, pebbly beach where I had once sunbaked in summertime Italy.
Then my mind moved again.
I was making a shopping list and ticking off all the items I needed to make a Haloumi Salad.
I heard softly spoken words, almost a whisper.

I listened and breathed in slowly and deeply.

I sighed out audibly and completely.

Before my mind took me anywhere else, I had a strap around my foot and there was pain.
I wanted to open my eyes to see if my leg was to the side and straight or if it was bent. But I didn’t.  I concentrated on the whisper and took a large inhale.

Again my subconscious wandered.

I was planning another holiday, this time in the snow.

I was designing a resume, placing the dentist, the dog groomer and a new fry pan on my to-do list.

But then I focussed on my breath and the pain subsided.
On and on it went. Mind wander, weird thoughts, loud breath, discomfort.

What I was experiencing was a hit of LSD.

Not the  70’s  hallucinogenic drug, but a twenty-tens form of yoga.
Long, Slow, Deep– LSD.

Long, as in- holding the pose for a greater length of time.

Slow, as in- calming the breath, stilling the mind and settling the body.

Deep, as in- moving into a greater physical stretch and releasing any initial pain and discomfort.

LSD is one of the classes offered at the Yoga studio I have joined and a shortened hour adaptation of the three times as long original program, designed by American guru Brian Kest, believed to be the original founder of Power Yoga.

Until now I hadn’t really heard of it and never taken it because being time-poor I wanted to ensure any exercise I did would be vigorous or at the least slightly challenging. I wasn’t up for an hour of what I believed would be, just lying around being slightly hippie.

But as the owner of Raw Power Yoga studio, Simon Kerle said,”it’s definitely for athletes!”

And while I wouldn’t go as far as suggesting I, or anyone lying and breathing and mind wandering beside me was an athlete, the benefits are the same.

It complements an existing exercise program and aids injury prevention.

According to LSD dealer Brian Kest, Long, Slow, Deep is a potent alternative to other forms of yoga and other regimes of fitness.
“The old fitness mentality is over! We are way past tearing ourselves to shreds simply to be more aesthetically pleasing.

“I also wanted people to experience the benefits of holding poses a little longer, giving these massive areas (hamstrings, groin, hips, shoulders, etc.) more time to release deeper,” said Kest.

And this mindset it seems is certainly infiltrating at the elite levels of fitness with Simon Kerle teaching LSD to real athletes and sporting teams such as the Brisbane Broncos, Lions and Queensland Firebirds for restoration and recovery.

For the many more un-elite athletes like myself, it’s mostly about prolonging an exercise shelf-life, trying to keep a busy mind uncluttered (if you can’t stay out of your head, try to stay at the beach or with the holiday theme and not on on shopping lists) and breathing (i.e. relaxing).

Oh and did I mention you do all this exercise while laying there? What a trip!