ASIDE from helping me sleep, the meditation technique I've been learning also encourages you to expel any unhealthy discharges that many people keep buried and which can chip away at their health.

One of the expressions is the "motor garbage" technique which basically allows you release all unspent energy that makes you restless and tetchy by shaking your limbs in a kind of free form spasm before bedtime.

I thought I'd give it a go one restless night though I was pretty sceptical about it. If one hour of circuit training hadn't got rid of my spare energy, would a wobble before bedtime do the trick?

But after about 60 seconds of shaking, I did feel loosened out a bit. It wasn't the same as doing a 20 minute run or 100 stomach crunches to expend energy, I thought, but it was movement in an untrained form, a spontaneous burst of energy that I'd never really given expression to beyond childhood clowning around.

The other exercise we were told to do took silliness to a further, ridiculous level. To unearth all the deeply repressed sorrow that manifests in us as stiff upper lipped adults, we were told to find somewhere comfortable to sit and then to simulate sobbing, whenever we felt a bit down.

"Put on some loud music so the neighbours don't start getting worried," said the teacher, as he did a quick demo for us.

His shoulders suddenly started dropping and a minute later he was shaking violently as his whole body heaved with guttural sobbing sounds. It lasted for what felt like forever until it softly got softer and he finally snapped out of it with a placid, slightly embarrassed smile.

Never mind what the neighbours think, how could I bring myself to do this? I had a few timid tries at it but aborted it, feeling it was all a bit sinister.

It wasn't until half way through watching Billy Elliot the other week that the dam suddenly burst and after simulating for about 30 seconds, I started sobbing uncontrollably for the next two hours.

Anything Billy said - even the funny bits - had me with my face in a hankie and I eventually had to pull myself together when, half an hour after the film had finished, I was still in tears. Swollen eyed and exhausted, I went to bed. So much for simulating, I thought.

The next morning, I woke up feeling more chipper than I have in a long time. In spite of the oddness, I'd recommend it to anyone. Just don't forget to turn the music up.