Collymore looks to Buddha
The ex-striker, who played for clubs including Aston Villa, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, made the decision after spending a weekend at a Buddhist retreat.
His experiences at The Buddhavihara Temple, in Hampton Road, Aston, Birmingham, are shown in a BBC One television programme.
He said: "I suffer from depression and the ups and downs that brings so I thought I'd try out the Buddhist retreat for a weekend.
The Inside Out programme, to be shown on Monday night, shows the former footballer getting up at 5am for meditation before breakfast.
But the regime apparently takes its toll, with Collymore adding: "Two nights and two days of chanting. It's a long time and I'm starting to feel the strain."
Afterwards, he rejected becoming a full-time Buddhist but said of his weekend: "It was very satisfactory, the people were fantastic.
"I won't be hurrying back for eight hours of meditation, but I will definitely start in five minute chunks and see how I go from there."
