Soul Care: Becoming Whole from the Inside Out

• October 5, 2025
• By Brian Lettieri

Soul Care: Becoming Whole from the Inside Out

If you are a teacher, a leader, or a guide, you know the sacred rhythm of pouring out. You hold space, offer wisdom, and create environments where others can encounter Jesus. It is a holy and beautiful calling. But if you are not careful, you can find yourself ministering from a place of spiritual drought, your own well having long run dry.

So, take a moment and ask yourself honestly: Are you teaching from a place of overflow or obligation? Are you leading from a deep wellspring of communion with God, or are you running on the fumes of your last true encounter? 

In the demanding work of ministry, it is easy to become so focused on the spiritual health of others that we neglect our own. This is where the life-giving practice of soul care becomes not a luxury, but a lifeline.

The Crucial Difference Between Soul Care and Self-Care

In our wellness-focused world, the term ‘self-care’ is everywhere. It often involves activities designed for comfort, distraction, or escape – a bubble bath, a weekend getaway, a new hobby. These things can be good and necessary, but they are not the same as soul care. Self-care often soothes the symptoms of a weary life, but soul care is concerned with the source.

The critical difference is its focus. Where self-care is centered on comfort, soul care is centered on communion – with God, with your own spirit, and with truth. Where self-care might say, ‘escape the stress,’ soul care says, ‘enter into His presence.’ 

It is not about numbing or avoiding the realities of your life and ministry, but about bringing your whole, honest self before the God who promises to meet you there. It is the practice of becoming whole from the inside out.

The Foundation of True Soul Care: Jesus Our Mediator

Biblical soul care is not a journey of solitary self-improvement. It is not about trying harder or mustering up more spiritual discipline on your own. The entire practice hinges on a foundational, liberating truth: we are not alone in the journey inward. We have a guide, an intercessor, and a high priest who has already paved the way for us.

“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.”

– 1 Timothy 2:5 (NIV)

This is the anchor of Christian soul care. Jesus is our Mediator, the one who stands in the gap and gives us direct access to the Father. He doesn’t just point the way to God; He is the way. Every practice, every moment of stillness, and every prayer is made effective not by our own effort, but by the grace of Christ, who invites us into the very throne room of God. This truth removes the pressure to perform and replaces it with the freedom to simply receive.

A Glimpse into the Practices of Soul Care

The Soul Care module within our 300-Hour Master’s Training equips you with ancient, time-tested rhythms that help you learn to abide in Christ’s presence. These are not formulas to master, but invitations to accept. You will be guided through:

1. Lectio Divina & Sabbath Rest

This is the practice of engaging with Scripture not for information, but for formation. You learn to read God’s Word slowly and prayerfully, listening for His voice to speak directly to your heart. This is paired with the intentional embrace of Sabbath – a holy cessation from work and worry to delight in God and His creation.

2. Silence, Solitude & Listening

In a world saturated with noise, we intentionally create space for quiet. The practices of silence and solitude are about quieting the outer distractions and the inner chatter so we can attune our ears to the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit.

3. Breath Prayer & Centering Prayer

These disciplines marry the physical rhythm of your breath with the spiritual focus of your heart. By pairing a simple, scriptural phrase with your inhales and exhales (Breath Prayer) or by resting in a single sacred word (Centering Prayer), you learn to quiet your racing mind and anchor your awareness in the presence of God.

4. Contemplative & Ignatian Prayer

Going beyond petition, these practices invite you to use your God-given imagination and reflection to discern His movement in your life. You’ll explore the Ignatian Examen, a method of prayerfully reviewing your day to notice where God was present and active, fostering a continual conversation with Him.

5. Discernment & Meditation

This is the holy work of sifting through your thoughts, desires, and options with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. You will learn to meditate on God’s truth and character, allowing His wisdom to bring clarity and direction to your life and ministry.

From Inner Wholeness to Outward Ministry

When you commit to these rhythms of soul care, something beautiful begins to happen. Your own well starts to refill. The spiritual dryness gives way to a living spring. This inner renewal inevitably transforms your outer ministry. You begin to teach not from your own strength, but from the overflow of what God is doing in you.

Your leadership takes on a new quality – one of gentle authority, deep empathy, and authentic peace. You are then equipped not only to practice soul care but to lead others into it, guiding your students beyond the physical postures and into a deeper, more intimate communion with the God who made them.

Your Invitation to the Wellspring

If your soul feels weary and your spirit feels dry, hear this as a gentle invitation from the Lord to come to the wellspring. It’s time to receive so that you may continue to give. The deepest dive into these life-giving practices is found within our premier advanced training.

The 300-Hour Holy Yoga Masters Training, starting October 6, is a year-long pilgrimage into the heart of God, with Soul Care as one of its five key pillars. This training is the ultimate deep dive for 200-hour certified instructors ready to be transformed in their life and leadership. We invite you to consider if now is the time to answer this call to go deeper.

However, we understand you may not be at that point yet. Holy Yoga has a pathway for you, no matter where you are in your journey. You may also be interested in:

• Trauma-Sensitive Yoga Training: A vital specialty certification for any leader called to create spaces of healing and hope or
• 200HR Holy Yoga Instructor Training: The foundational program for those who are just beginning their journey to lead others in Christ-centered yoga.