The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life

by Justin Whitmel Earley, Lauren Earley (Reader)

Your body is more spiritual than you think.

How can we preach a gospel of peace, yet still find our bodies wracked by anxiety? How do we call our bodies temples of the Holy Spirit, yet regard eating, exercise, or sleep as inherently "unspiritual" activities? How is it that modern Christians who claim God made their bodies have come to care so little about them?

Justin Whitmel Earley--bestselling author of The Common Rule and Habits of the Household--is intimately familiar with the consequences of ignoring the body. As a young lawyer, Earley collapsed into anxiety and insomnia that nearly ruined his life. In his journey back to mental and spiritual health, he realized that the healthy and unhealthy habits shaping his life weren't physical or spiritual; they were physical and spiritual.

The Body Teaches the Soul is a practical guide to the union of body and spirit in our overall health. With his characteristic vulnerability and story-driven approach, Earley shares personal failures, fascinating research, and biblical wisdom to reveal ten simple habits that will improve your health and deepen your relationship with God. In these pages, you will:

Connect deeply and positively with your body as the image of God while avoiding the mistakes of ignoring or idolizing the body

Explore how daily patterns of healthy eating can be as spiritual as fasting and how rhythms of feasting can become guilt-free celebrations of the world God made

Recover your mental health through upper-brain spiritual truths that work together with lower-brain physical practices to reshape thought patterns

Develop a sleep routine that honors your body's need for rest and your soul's need for sabbath

Discover how to lament sickness and injury while still praying with hope for the miracle of healing

Learn how exercise can create a humble lifestyle of loving others with your body instead of becoming a vain search for body image 


Earley is not a health guru telling you how to get in shape; he is the ordinary Christian's guide to rediscovering the extraordinary gift of the body and the spiritual life that flows from it. Join this journey of wonder and well-being to reconnect with your whole self and repattern your whole life in the image of the God who made you and loves you as you are--body and soul.

Genres: Christian, Nonfiction, Christian Living, Health, Faith, Theology, Christianity

1 pages, Audio CD

First published October 1, 2025

About the author

Justin Whitmel Earley (JD, Georgetown University) is the creator of The Common Rule, a program of habits designed to form us in the love of God and neighbor. He is also a mergers and acquisitions lawyer in Richmond, Virginia. He previously spent several years in China as the founder and general editor of The Urbanity Project and as the director of Thought and Culture Shapers, a nonprofit organization dedicated to serving the community through arts. He and his wife, Lauren, have four sons and live in Richmond, Virginia.

Reviews

[Dr. David Steele · Rating 5 out of 5]

Books about the human body (health in particular) are flying off the shelves these days. Many of these books have good things to offer in the way of overall fitness and include helpful principles that concern nutrition, exercise, longevity, and sleep.

Justin Whittle Earley’s book, The Body Teaches the Soul: Ten Essential Habits to Form a Healthy and Holy Life. Here, as the title suggests, we are confronted not only with the challenge to pursue a healthy life; we are called to a life of holiness. The combination of these themes makes Earley’s book stand out above the rest.

Christians have a nasty habit of pitting the secular against the sacred, thus buying into a sort of evangelical gnosticism, a theme that the author explores in some detail. The habits commended in this volume are:

Breathing

Thinking

Eating and Drinking

Sleeping

Sickness and Pain

Exercise

Sex

Technology

Worship

Death and Resurrection

Each chapter guides readers on a journey that should challenge them to a life of health and holiness. For my money, the chapter on worship is especially noteworthy. The author alerts readers to the importance of worship, reminding them that “our bodies are fine-tuned to worship.” Central to this chapter is a critical observation, namely - “Everything that is biological is also theological.” Highlighting this theme should be revolutionary for many, as they have been accustomed to emphasizing the spiritual over the physical, thus taking the gnostic bait once again. Chapter ten also emphasizes physical discipline and spiritual discipline, the sum total that equals holistic worship.

One critique of this volume, despite its many praiseworthy elements, is the author’s encouragement for readers to engage in Lectio Divina, the Latin term for “spiritual reading.” This novel approach to interpreting Scripture is highly subjective and is leading the unsuspecting down paths that are not biblical. This ancient practice that many contemporary Christians are utilizing is a dangerous departure from biblical hermeneutics and should be avoided. Or as David Helms implies, it leads us away from the right meaning and right application of a text instead of toward it.” See Tim Challies’ excellent article, A Danger of Lectio Divina for a more comprehensive critique.

Overall, though, The Body Teaches the Soul is a solid offering that I encourage readers to study and apply to their lives.

[Susy C. *MotherLambReads* · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing

Needed

Must read for Christians

Some key takeaways:
Life hacks for spiritual health.
Health does equal holy!
Don’t ignore emotions but steward them
Everything biological is theological.
Know your body better to better steward it.

I was waiting a long time for this book. So many topics Christians are afraid to grapple and talk about.

I LOVED he how made the connection of the physical to our spiritual soul. This came out of his own deep struggle with depression, anxiety, and insomnia.

He calls for a combination of the physical and spiritual to be able to have a healthy body and puts forth 10 habits to try to implement. He gives the Christian a chance to think Biblically and positively about our body. He focuses on mental health, healthy eating, feasting, sleeping, exercising, lamenting, breathing exercises, and fasting, All together with finding rhythms of life and habits.

It's such needed words to hear. His other books Habits of a Household and The Common Rule are phenomenal. Read him!

We were made in the image of God, why would we not want to be our best selves?

❓What’s one book that makes you stop and do something to better yourself?

💬𝘔𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘵:𝘩𝘵𝘵𝘱𝘴://𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮.𝘤𝘰𝘮/𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘴/

[Blair Brake · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great and encouraging read!! Check this book out! Think theology of being embodied meets common rule practices for stewarding our embodiment.

[Jason Albertson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a bad book, but it's not the book I was hoping it would be. I think that's how I felt when I read The Common Rule from the same author.

In general, I was disappointed with how little of the Christian tradition each chapter interacted with. Willard shows up a couple times. Piper is quoted once, I think. Hauerwas is footnoted. In contrast, most chapters have an anchoring insight from a pop science/journalism source. For the topics in this book, it's just strange to me how little the Christian tradition explicitly informs the content. It's not as rich as I wish it were.

And hey, I'm a teacher. This is one of my academic interests. Maybe I'm expecting more than I should. As it is, this volume would probably be really helpful for a teen or young professional.

Even so, I wish it were introducing those audiences to the rich streams of the Christian tradition.

"Jason, it's no good bashing this book without giving examples of what would be richer."

Yeah, that's fair.

Across the board, if you work through the John Mark Comer free online course for Practicing the Way - with a group or as a church, if you can - you'll be farther ahead than if you read this book in each of the domains this book addresses, both in terms of theological development and life transformation.

I know it's trendy to hate on JMC for emphasizing *effort* towards growth too much or for drawing from too many theological traditions without naming the differences between them or explaining how he processes the disparities (... yeah, fair). Don't stop with JMC! But if you're at entry-level, you can do *so much* better than this book.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book offers practical steps to implement theological truth about our bodies—embracing both our limitations and our unique abilities in a way that images our Creator. This is a book I will keep referencing again and again.

[Esta Doutrich · Rating 4 out of 5]

An accessible primer on the integral role of spiritual disciplines for embodied, wholistic health.

[Mandy Emery · Rating 5 out of 5]

The phrase “every sad thing will be made untrue” will always bring tears to my eyes. This was a fantastic book that gave biblical “why” behind caring for our bodies! I will reread this again and again.

[Clarita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. I’ve been an admirer of Earley’s work since the first book I read several years ago, and this is no exception. The combination of theory/thought/doctrine and how it meets practical living is so well done, complete with vulnerability and eyes on Christ. This is a book you can’t read without also engaging your heart, and being moved.

The title reminded me of the secular book, “The Body Keeps the Score”, but instead of learning about all the ways our bodies hold trauma, this felt so redemptive by comparison. Looking at our physical bodies as a temple of the Lord transforms everything, and gives everything a new lens. Instead of being trapped in trauma, they can be vessels of redemption while we live here on earth.

Powerful, beautiful read.

[Lori Eby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The body/spirit connection is so important to recognize, and here’s a book that develops those ideas in ways that would’ve been revolutionary for me a few years ago. Even though many of its ideas were not new to me, hearing it again in fresh language was valuable. The chapter on food was a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me. Finally, there were words that explained why caring about my eating habits is not same as the diet culture. The struggle is real 🥴

[Becca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy five stars and hands down my favorite book from this author so far. Lots to think about but I love the blend of simple truths, habits to try, and the reminder that God’s love for us shapes our habits, not the other way around.

[Alex Adkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can’t think of another author that writes as succinctly and thoughtfully as Justin Whitmel Earley. Another honest, thoughtful, and provocative book. Particularly the chapters on exercise and food.

[Heidi Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, insightful book on how the health and habits of our bodies truly do shape the soul/mind.
The two are so intertwined that we cannot separate them.

My only negative? I listened to the audio book rather than read the physical copy, and there were so many parts I wanted to highlight to revisit later and couldn’t.
Definitely recommend the physical copy.

[Shelby Goodman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book!

[Taylor Lent · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book of his yet. Loved each chapter and I felt like he wrote about several practices I haven’t heard anyone else talk about - sleep, sickness. Immediately passed to others

[Melody Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. It wasn’t necessarily mind blowing, new information, but with each chapter I walked away convicted and given tangible tools and truths that were exactly what I needed in this season of life. I did learn a lot. I had tears in my eyes as it ended and as I reflected on the beauty our bodies and souls and how both are good and God’s creation. Definitely would recommend.

[Whitney Newby · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely loved Justin Whitmel Earley's book Habits of the Household... this one, I'd give 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I know I'm in the minority here (so many of my friends have raved about it!), but I just didn't love or really connect with this book. But I also see the extensive thought and research he put into this book, and I commend him for that!

[Kenny Ratliff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whew! I needed this. Justin does it again. Sound theology and practical. The chapters on eating and drinking, exercise, and technology were especially helpful and convicting.

“Your habits of health won’t change God’s love for you, but God’s love for you should change your habits.”

[Sami Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is it - my standout, #1 nonfiction read of the year. Never would I have thought I’d find myself crying through chapters on exercise and the resurrection and the discipline of ordinary fare amidst feasting and fasting. This work is masterful- beautifully written and instantly practical. I will bring it up in every conversation for the foreseeable future and gift it to probably everyone I know.

“When our heads go one way and our habits go another, the heart follows the habit. This is the biblical wisdom of spiritual formation.”

[mckia calder · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended by some church pals who met Justin at a youth conference, I think he is most famously known for “Habits of the Household” and “The Common Rule”. This book felt similar to JMC’s Practicing The Way but with more specific topics as each chapter, which I enjoyed. My main struggle was that the ideas in each chapter felt very drawn out and repetitive. Great truths and reminders, and a very helpful frame of reference for newer believers! just wish it was a bit shorter

Quotes!!

think of habits like little liturgies. Liturgies are the patterns of worship we repeat over and over, even semiconsciously to unconsciously, and they are intended to form us in the image of the God we worship.

But shalom doesn’t mean simply the absence of conflict. It is the presence of integrated flourishing.

This is why so many of Jesus’ parables are garden-centric—the work of sanctification is a slow, cultivated, and embodied partnership between us and the God of Grace, who calls us to action.

Feasting is the call to do the hard work of joy, for the easiest thing in the world is to be serious and cynical, but the harder (and more Christian) thing to do is fight for laughter and levity. But that is what our king did when he came, and that is what we’ll do when he comes again.

Christians should look for habits of waiting everywhere in their lives because waiting echoes our greatest story: We are waiting for our cosmic wedding day, when Jesus has made all things new and beautiful again.

Many philosophers have welcomed death as a lens for focusing on life. But Christians have a very different perspective: Every day matters not because death is guaranteed but because resurrection is guaranteed!

[Brett Wiley · Rating 5 out of 5]

A vision for an embodied, whole life spirituality that is desperately needed in a world that is becoming more disembodied by the day. Earley has the ability to write in a way that is deeply theological and personal while still being immensely practical. One of the things I appreciate most about his writing is that he keeps the gospel and grace front and center. That is not always the case in spiritual formation books. For that reason and so many more, I will recommend this widely.

[Stephen Page · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the last book I will finish in 2025, and I have read so many good books this year that I did not think it was possible to end on a high note...but it was. This was one of the best and the perfect book to end the year on.

I've read Justin's other book "Habits of the Household," and thought it was phenomenal. Even so, I thought this one was better.

It's not just the clarity with which he writes, or the practicality of the advice he gives (both of which are superb); it's the timeliness of this book. I live in a world where embodiment/the physical body is either worshiped or completely ignored, and in both circumstances abused/wrongfully utilized.

This book paints such a hopeful and helpful picture of how the Christian is to use their body (a powerful and essential part of themselves) to educate and form the soul. It felt like Justin found a missing piece of the puzzle and placed it perfectly into my life.

10/10 recommend, and will be reading again.

[Lesley Kempin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really loved this! As always, Earley does an incredible job of connecting gospel truth to our everyday lives in a tangible and hope filled way. I also appreciated hearing his wife’s perspective on several chapters! I listened to the audiobook but plan to purchase the physical copy to refer to, as it is rich with reminders and tips.

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think I just really like learning about embodiment...

Earley does a great job of taking physical experiences and connecting them to our spiritual lives. I especially appreciated the chapter on exercise as a form of suffering and how physical suffering and discipline can contribute to our sanctification.

I thought the writing style was accessible and engaging, and the final chapter on death worked double duty as a nice summary of the whole book as well.

Anyone interested in embodiment or in exploring the connection between our physical bodies and spiritual lives would learn much from this book. And after having read (and loved!) Habits of the Household, I can't wait to see what Earley comes out with next.

[Alyssa Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5! The last chapter had me wanting to read it all over again.

[Simon Long · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed it. He goes deep enough to challenge and gives a great starting point with balanced ideas for honoring and pursuing God with our physical bodies. Highly recommend.

[Abby Weiland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I went into this book a bit skeptical because sometimes these healthy habit books can feel overly formulaic, but this book was surprisingly encouraging. The author connects everyday physical disciplines to spiritual formation in a way that feels practical and grounded in real Christian life.

My favorite section was the chapter on exercise. His metaphor for sanctification through training stuck with me—like picking up the bar for the hundredth time when you thought the ninety-ninth was your last. It’s a vivid picture of perseverance and daily faithfulness shaping us over time. I was encouraged by this read!

[Rebecca Joyner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this! Listened to it on Spotify but then ended up buying a hard copy because I wanted to more easily be able to see all the diagrams and summary charts referenced. Like most of his writing, it's a very practical book for the believer. I appreciate the science and theology behind many of his points.

[Lauren Nomansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked it! There were some chapters I wanted to underline everything (his chapter on food alone made this book worthwhile) and others that I didn’t feel as deeply about or fall under the same level of conviction. Nonetheless, I love that he connected the “practical” and spiritual when it comes to our bodies and spoke to some of the cultural extremes and belief systems we’re currently facing.

If anything, I walked away with the encouragement to steward my body well in order to love my people well.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not traditionally been a super fan but man this book was so good! Science + faith, physical + spiritual, all of it was useful for me. He convinced me.

[Katie Hathaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a JWE fan! Common Rule was so helpful to me and this book felt like a foundation for habits and life in both Biblical and scientific truths.

Would highly recommend for anyone who wants to understand how God created our bodies and our souls to be connected and how the brokenness of this world fights against that.