Oh, No – She Stopped Meditating!


Earlier this month Mary-Lou Stephens, Huffington Post writer and author of “Sex, Drugs and Meditation”, made a confession. She had stopped meditating!

A very brave thing to do, considering she had written a book about the subject and is a blogger and column writer.

So why did she stop?

“Meditation is like a seedling. We plant it, nurture it and protect it from the things that want to destroy it like pests, bugs and disease. We take care of it and it grows. The roots anchor themselves into the soil. The stems grow stronger. The leaves reach for the sky. Our plant thrives. Meditation needs the same kind of tending. If we don’t nurture it, it will wither. The pests and bugs of other people’s needs and opinions will eat away at it. The crush of time poverty, the carelessness of “if I just skip a couple of days it won’t matter” will destroy it. In time all that’s left is a small indentation in the dry soil where our beautiful plant used to be.

I grew careless. Took it for granted. I was feeling great so what did it matter if I didn’t meditate for a couple of days. I thought the plant would stay healthy without me having to do anything. After all it was strong and I’d been taking care of it for years, surely I was entitled to a bit of a break. Days without meditating turned into weeks. It got to the stage where I’d almost forgotten about it. My morning routine changed and meditation was no longer a part of it.”

It’s all too easy to give in to the demands of the environment and those around us, and forget about what’s most important us.

And forgetting this comes with a price:

“That’s when the negative self talk returned. The aches and pains of life manifested in my body. Everything hurt and I was exhausted every day. I dragged myself to work and collapsed on the couch when I got home. Everything else fell away.”

All of this led to her one day waking up and thinking “I wish I was dead”. Her story striked me as both gripping and emotional, but you should read it for yourself in full to see for yourself.

Read the whole story here, on how Mary-Lou Stephens stopped meditating, what I did to her, and how she recovered!

I must admit I also have had times when I have stopped meditating, and I can definitely attest to the affects it can have.

Another reason to keep disciplined and cultivate our meditation habits even further.

Did Mary-Lou’s story touch you? Comment and share your thoughts!

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2 responses to “Oh, No – She Stopped Meditating!”

  1. Meditation shouldn’t be a chore, or something that you have to do. mine comes naturally, I sit alone meditating while having breakfast & staring into the distance at the clouds, sky, hills, and trees, my mind is at rest and empty.(no monkey chatter) outside noises don’t bother me. I also do this at the beach regardless of how many people are around. I can switch off at any time. I went to a Tibetan Buddhist meditation group for several years and had a wonderful teacher. I also did a course of self hypnosis 4o years ago in Sydney which I still call on at times. The Dalai Lama’s teachings are the best advice anyone can get, free. If you have a problem, fix it. If you can’t then forget it. That is what I do. Relax Mary-Lou and go with the flow. <3 Anne

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