Arriving at work last Friday I was expecting to check my emails, write about airport parking and have a natter with my colleagues. I was not, however, expecting to lie down and get paid for it.

I'm used to the odd barbecue at my place of work and had even taken part in a little volleyball, but when I found myself lying face down on the lawn I thought I had finally gone mad.

It turns out that I had been swept up in the craze aptly know as The Lying Down Game. The name says it all; it is a game created from the very exciting activity of lying down. Don't believe me? Then maybe you have been living under a rock, as I seemed to have been. Everyone knew exactly what was going on, apart from me (or so it seemed.

Now the game does, in fact, require some element of thought and (depending on how adventurous you want to be) a fair bit of planning. There may also be an element of skill and talent involved depending on where you decide to lie.

Firstly, don't for a minute think you can lie down in any old position because you will be very much mistaken. To play this "game" correctly you must lie on your stomach, with your face pointing towards the floor (it is advisable to keep your mouth firmly closed). The palms of your hands must be flat against your sides and the tips of your toes must also point towards the ground. Basically, it should look like each participant is standing up, only horizontally.

To spice this game up even further, there are two aims. One is to get as many people involved as possible and two is to lie down in the most random place you can think of. If your chosen location is in an incredibly public setting then even better. Let your imagination run wild. People have photographed themselves lying down on park benches, in the middle of roadworks, on top of dustbins and even along the branches of trees - this is where real talent is required.

A Facebook group has been set up in the Just For Fun category, spreading the lying down love around the world. Group members are soaring, as more and more people become intrigued by the fascinating concept of lying down, anywhere, at any time. People's fascination of posting and tagging bizarre pictures of each other on this social website has reached another level. It seems this game is ideal for Facebook fans.

So who is the person behind this baffling game and the ever-growing Facebook craze? His name is Gary Clarkson, a 27-year-old salesman who invented the game with a friend during his childhood. Seeking amusement, they would approach random people and ask them either for the time, or if they wanted to see a magic trick. The boys would then lie flat on the floor in front of the passer by, to see what their reaction would be.

It seems that what started as mischievous, childish fun has now caught the attention of the world. From Bangkok to Chicago people are lying down, for fun. The media have been very interested in this story and the craze looks set to stay for a while yet at least.