These days, it seems like most everything ‑- from products and entertainment to life philosophies even ‑- requires a Hollywood stamp of approval before the rest of us decide to give it a whirl. (After all, it took endorsements from Madonna, Gwyneth and Christy before the 5,000-year-old art of yoga made it to the cover of Time.) So it seems only natural that a hot new fitness regime would be born among the world of celebrities. Called Budokon, this practice has earned rave, this-has-changed-my-life reviews from stars like Courteney Cox Arquette, Chris Tucker, Amber Valletta and even a couple of Olympic gold-medal winners. But take note: Budokon is no fad. Rather, it's a practice designed to "create balance and permanent change in the entire system," according to its founder, Cameron Shayne.

A former bodyguard for actors like Charlie Sheen and Sean Penn, Shayne began his lifelong relationship with fitness at the age of 12, when he started studying the traditional Korean art of MooDuKwon. This led to years of work in Olympic-grade Tae Kwon Do and later Okinawan Karate-do (which involves using weapons as props), Brazilian jujitsu, meditation and hatha yoga. It wasn't long before Shayne earned a black belt in his pursuits ‑- a ranking he has since shed in favor of the title "Kancho," the designation of a Budokon master. While living in Los Angeles, Shayne became a private fitness teacher: "Not a trainer in a gym," he clarifies, "but a teacher who led my students on a journey." At this time, around 1999, he developed both his celebrity following and his signature workout.