How Hockey Players Are Creating Abundance on the Ice Rink Through Meditation

People in yoga class

Article by Zhang Xinyue of Create Abundance

Ice hockey is known for being a high-octane full-contact game full of fast skating, big collisions, and even the occasional bout of fisticuffs. In order to perform at the highest level on the hockey rink, players must have a strong level of mental toughness to deal with the danger and intimidation that is part of the game.

Hockey and meditation are two things you don’t often hear in the same sentence. However, hockey pros have turned to meditation and a mindset of creating abundance to deal with the most mentally taxing parts of the game.

College hockey coach Grant Standbrook explained it this way, “If you’re walking down an alley and you’re accosted by two thugs, your natural tendency is to tighten up all your muscles and hold your breath, and that’s the last thing you want to do. You want to be relaxed, you want to be calm and you want to be breathing properly so you can think clearly and handle the situation.”

In light of this, NHL pros such as Mike Komisarek and Christopher Higgins have turned to meditation to increase their mental fortitude. Meditation trains you to have the right mindset so that you can approach dangerous situations with focus and calmness instead of fear, ego, or anger. This is an essential skill to have even in a game as rough and challenging as ice hockey. It can mean the difference between victory and defeat when tough and talented teams go head to head.

Zhang Xinyue is the author of the book Create Abundance. The book is a collection of Teacher Zhang Xinyue’s words of wisdom concerning body-mind-spirit cultivation. Originally published in 2012, it has remained a best seller. It has been translated to numerous languages.