OUR MISSION

ZEN ZONE DIGITAL IS FOCUSED ON MIND AND BODY IN ACTION FOR SPORT, HEALTH AND PERFORMANCE.

Zen Zone Digital develops training materials which blend contemporary sport psychology and behavioral medicine, and traditional Asian Mind-Body systems.

These are based on Dr. Heils work with Olympic, Professional and aspiring athletes, as well as, his experience as a coach and athlete. They also incorporate input from coaches and athletes.

Zen Zone Digital’s underlying unifying principles, services and products reflect mind-body interaction and performance under pressure.

Rocks at waters edge photo
Olympic Rings outside of stadium

OUR TRAINING GUIDES

TRAINING TO MASTER MINDFULNESS, WELLNESS & PERFORMANCE

Our Zen Zone Digital training guides blend sport-related, science-based mental training with traditional meditative practices. These techniques respectfully draw on the tradition and culture of the mind-body disciplines, without trying to imitate or otherwise reproduce them. The training materials function at once as meditation-mindfulness methods and also as foundation mental skills linked to effective sport performance.

These training materials draw heavily on Dr’ Heil’s experience with Olympic, professional and developmental athletes as well as, training and research in meditation and mindfulness. They also reflect his broad base of experience within performance psychology which includes tactical training with Police, as well as consulting in Sports Medicine and with performing artists.

Zen Zone Digital training materials fill a unique niche. The visual enhancement of the otherwise traditional eye-closed approach to mindfulness and meditation offers a traditional application that is not provided by voice/sound only methods.

John Heil

DR. JOHN HEIL, DA, FAASP, FAPA

My focus on mind and body in action began at Devon Prep as a high school distance runner, where I was coached in the Zen tradition. It continued at Lehigh University where I pursued a degree in psychology, continued competing as a distance runner and developed an interest in Asian Mind-Body systems. A series of running injuries requiring extensive rehabilitation introduced me to the psychology of sport injury. While working on a master’s degree in Clinical Psychology at St. Louis University, I began training in fencing, sparked by an interest in Modern Pentathlon. I continued to explore various mind-body systems and meditation in and out of the classroom, applying these to sport training. Back at Lehigh University, I completed a doctorate in Sport and Health Psychology, began coaching fencing and distance running, and started training in stage combat.

While on the psychology faculty of Roanoke College, I began a sport psychology practice and taught mediation in the classroom, while continuing to coach fencing, running and stage combat. Subsequently, I completed Post-Doctoral training in Behavioral Medicine and Pain Management at the University of Utah Medical School, while continuing a sport psychology practice.

Currently, I am a partner in Psychological Health Roanoke where I have a combined clinical and sport performance psychology practice, while doing extensive research and writing in the psychology of sport injury. 

Credentials

Licensed Clinical Psychologist
Certified Mental Performance Consultant
United States Olympic Committee Sport Psychology Registry
Fellow, Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Fellow, American Psychological Association
Major League Baseball-Substance Abuse Counselor
Past President, Society for Sport, Exercise & Performance Psychology

Affiliations

Psychological Health Roanoke, Roanoke, VA
Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Roanoke, VA- Lecturer, Psychiatry (since 2009)
Carilion Clinic, Roanoke, VA-Psychology Consultant, Medical Rehabilitation Unit (since 2019)
Veterans Affairs Medical Center Psychology Internship, Salem, VA (since 1992)
Roanoke City Police Academy, Roanoke, VA (since 2003)
International Swim Coaches Association, Sport Science Board (since 2013)
USA Fencing Sport Psychology Consultant (since 1995)

Chip

Chip Magdelinksas

Chip Magdelinskas has been involved in the field of communications for over 35 years. For 12 of those, Chip headed Focal Point Productions, a corporate communications firm he founded. Here he worked with a roster of Fortune 500 clients including Sports Illustrated, CBS Broadcasting, Forbes Magazine, and Group W Broadcasting.

Productions for Readers Digest and LifeFleet have been Telly and New York International Film Festival award winners.

Chip has also held senior communications positions in the health care field at CareLine, Inc., MedTrans, and American Medical Response.

Currently Chip performs communications consulting services while serving as head of Celebrate Life! Productions.