Jordan Chiles’ Wellness Rituals Deserve a Gold Medal of Their Own

Jordan Chiles is not someone who often needs an introduction; her accolades speak for themselves. When she's not winning two Olympic medals, three World Championships, and five NCAA Championships in artistic gymnastics, Chiles continues to make big leaps in her sport as a current team member of the UCLA Bruins. And like many athletes, health is a top priority for Chiles—whether that be active recovery, hydration, or sleep.

But the 24-year-old Olympian didn't come this far without a full repertoire of wellness practices that keep her mind, body, and spirit locked in. As a long-time advocate for mental health, Chiles also recently partnered with CorePower Yoga as a brand ambassador (just in time for Mental Health Awareness Month!) to continue spreading awareness about the importance of taking care of your mind. For this campaign, CorePower Yoga will also be offering a wide variety of yoga classes, a 31-day mindfulness journey that includes meditations, journal prompts, and sound healing, as well as member perks that offer self-care products from a variety of wellness brands.

We chatted with Chiles about everything she's been doing to prioritize self-care and how yoga became an important part of her routine. Here's what she had to say about which wellness rituals keep her beaming.

How hot yoga helps keep her cool

If you've ever turned the TV on during the Olympics, you've probably caught a few (okay, maybe more than a few) gymnastics events and finals. Sure, these incredible athletes make all those tumbles, twists, and tucks look oh so elegant. But those of us enjoying on the other side of the screen don't always realize the sheer strength and stamina that's required to really stick those landings.

So, for someone like Chiles, whose sport requires an immense level of skill, coordination, and power, how does a calming practice like yoga even come into the picture? Chiles tells us that yoga gave her the opportunity to focus on something outside of gymnastics, eventually becoming an outlet to create more balance and harmony for herself, internally and externally.

"When I came to college, during my freshman year, we had yoga classes that we had to do as a team activity, and that's when I started to like it a lot," Chiles says. "I realized this is something that I can enjoy, this is something that can just let my brain not think about my sport or the outside world."

The benefits of yoga are aplenty, and there's something in it for everyone—whether it's improving flexibility, learning to be more mindful, or reducing stress. And Chiles loves the relaxing pace it comes with. "Yoga is very helpful when it comes to your mental health, whether it's a sculpting class, whether it's a meditation, or whether you just want to be able to relax your mind in a different way and decompress," she says.

But when it comes to the kind of yoga she loves, Chiles definitely has a type. "I like hot yoga better than regular yoga," she says. "Regular yoga feels more like meditation, and the movements are a little slower. But with hot yoga, it's like a mini workout mixed with relaxing." (FYI, the key difference with hot yoga is a hotter room temperature, which kicks the intensity up a notch.)

Why speaking up matters now more than ever

Speaking of intensity, living under the spotlight isn't exactly easy. Chiles discusses how having so many eyes on her can sometimes bring challenges.

"With athletes, I feel like sometimes people look at you and they're like What is she going to be doing? How does she wake up? What is her life looking like right now?" Chiles explains. And being under this kind of external pressure can feel like a lot (on top of the expectations athletes already have to perform their best), even if it's not always negative. But Chiles believes in harnessing the power of her platform to spread awareness about the things that matter to her.

And one of those things is speaking up about mental health and the internal battles she's experienced. "I'm a big advocate for mental health," Chiles emphasizes. "I think being able to speak about something that I wasn't able to when I was younger and use my voice, I feel like I can inspire the younger generation to understand that we go through things, we have hard times, we have days when we're not okay."

Chiles tells us that it's important to have someone you can look up to, and she wants to be that for the people around her. She explains that "it's all about confidence," and when you talk about what you're going through, it's easier for someone else to do the same. "I want people to think like, 'if she can do it, I can do it,' right?" Chiles adds.

And there's a good reason why opening up about how she feels is an important part of her well-being. Sharing what you're going through with someone else and letting things off your chest lets you process your emotions and receive the support you may need, rather than keeping the feelings bundled up inside and boiling over. So when in doubt, talk it out.

Checking in with herself—and her support system—is key

Chiles isn't just preaching to the choir about the importance of talking about how you're feeling—she actively practices it too.

"Obviously, we don't wake up and always feel perfectly fine," she says. "It's something that I had to figure out for myself and be able to look at myself in the mirror and ask, are you okay?" When Chiles isn't feeling her best inside, she acknowledges the importance of relying on the people around her.

"You need to find ways you can help yourself, because it's okay to ask for help," Chiles explains. "It's okay to put yourself in that position, and just because you are doesn't mean you're failing at anything." Chiles says that she's lucky to have her support system by her side and always feels like she can go to them for advice, guidance, or just when she needs someone to lend a listening ear.

"I have my gymnastics community, and they have the ability to help with the sport side of things. And then I have my family, my friends, and my supporters, and they've all helped me with my journey." And she wants you to remember that you don't have to go through things alone—it takes a village (but it doesn't have to be Olympic-sized.)

And oftentimes, focusing on the village you have in front of you is more important than what you see online. Chiles explains that when things got tough, the ritual that made a big difference was taking a social media break. "On social media, a lot of people like to narrate what you're doing in life," Chiles says. "So being off social media made me realize what the real world was like instead of always being on your phone and always posting."

This revelation reminded her about what really matters, and that did wonders for her well-being. "[The social media break] helped me remember that I have a support team, a community that loves me, people that want to be around me and uplift me in ways that I didn't think they were capable of doing because I wasn't seeing it," she shares.

The affirmation that keeps her going

While it may have taken some time to see who was in her corner, there's one person she never forgets to look out for: herself. And to remind herself of who she is, there's an important affirmation she repeats daily.

"I'm that girl," she says proudly, while paying homage to her book of the same name. "I tell myself that affirmation every day. I think it's about being able to look at yourself in the mirror and understand all the things you've gone through, but still understand that I'm this confident and independent person that's accomplished so much, and I'm strong enough to be able to overcome anything that's thrown at me."

So, if there's one piece of advice Chiles can give you, it's that she recommends hyping yourself up every single day and keeping that confidence going within. And we'll definitely be listening to it.