Our bodies are not accidental. They are entrusted.

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught us that the body has a right over us, and that worship is not meant to be performed through neglect, stiffness, and burnout. “Your body has a right over you,” he ﷺ reminded a Companion who pushed himself into extremes.  When we stand before Allah (swt) in ṣalāh, we bring more than words and postures. We bring the condition of our hearts, and the condition of our bodies. Presence is easier when the vessel is cared for.

One of the quiet tragedies of modern life is that many of us want khushūʿ, yet we live in a way that trains distraction. We want humility, yet we live in a way that cultivates tension. We want steadiness in rukūʿ and sujūd, yet we sit for long hours, breathe shallowly, and carry stress in our hips, shoulders, and jaw. In that sense, “health” is not a separate hobby from Islam. It is often the groundwork of consistency.

Allah (swt) calls us to a life of balance, not excess. “Eat and drink, but do not waste. Surely He does not like the wasteful.”  And Allah (swt) teaches that the heart finds its true settling in remembrance: “Surely in the remembrance of Allah do hearts find comfort.”  The Sunnah brings these together. We take the means with ihsān, and we return the heart to its Lord.

We should be clear and dignified about our framing.

Yoga as a spiritual religion is not our path. Our remembrance, our prostration, and our surrender are to Allah (swt) alone. But stretching, controlled breathing, and joint mobility are not owned by any one culture. They are human tools. Islam welcomes beneficial means when the purpose is sound and the boundaries are respected.

So we are not speaking about mantras, ritual invocations, or spiritual symbolism foreign to Islam. We are speaking about movement, mobility, and breath training as exercise, in service of worship.

Many of us in qiyām are not restless because of the heart alone. We are restless because the body is uncomfortable. Tight calves, stiff ankles, and a locked lower back make standing feel like strain. Gentle mobility work makes stillness easier. When the body softens, the heart can listen.

A proper bow requires hamstrings that are not screaming, hips that can hinge, and a back that can lengthen without strain. When the body is tight, rukūʿ becomes rushed. When the body is trained, rukūʿ becomes calm, dignified, and stable.

Sujūd asks a lot from the ankles, knees, hips, and shoulders. Many people feel wrist pain, shoulder tightness, or pressure in the knees. Stretching and strengthening can restore range of motion and reduce discomfort, so sujūd becomes a place of refuge again, not a place we hurry through.

Shallow breathing is often the signature of stress, and stress scatters attention. Learning to breathe slowly and fully through the nose, down into the diaphragm, can calm the nervous system. Modern research finds that diaphragmatic breathing training can improve stress related physiology and aspects of cognition and emotional state.¹ When the nervous system calms, the heart becomes more capable of presence. In ṣalāh, that translates to recitation that is less hurried, and stillness that feels more natural.

Stretching is not instant gratification. It is a quiet practice of consistent return. We show up, we breathe, we soften, we repeat. That rhythm is remarkably close to the spiritual rhythm of ṣalāh itself. The body learns to yield instead of resist, and the ego learns the same.

If we want a prophetic habit of health, we should not chase extremes. We should chase sustainability.

The Prophet ﷺ praised strength that serves faith and steadiness, while reminding us to seek what benefits us and not collapse into helplessness.  Ten minutes of mobility a day can transform the quality of our prayers over a month, not by replacing worship, but by making worship easier to inhabit.

There is also wisdom in naming the modern problem plainly. Sedentary life tightens the front of the hips and reduces mobility, and research on hip flexibility reflects this general pattern.³ When the hips shorten and the spine stiffens, sujūd and rukūʿ can feel like friction instead of flowing surrender. The solution is rarely dramatic. It is usually simple, repeated, and gentle

And remember the deeper point. Ṣalāh itself is a medicine. But Allah (swt) teaches us through the Sunnah that we also take the means. We purify the heart with remembrance, and we maintain the body with movement. We do not separate them, because Islam does not separate them.

Sunnah practice: Avoid extremes that break the body and the mind.

Evidence: “Your body has a right over you.” 

Spiritual benefit: We worship Allah (swt) with gratitude, not self harm.

Psychological benefit: Sustainable practice reduces burnout and increases long term consistency.

Sunnah aligned habit: Prepare for ṣalāh the way we prepare for anything noble, with calm and readiness.

Spiritual benefit: More stillness in qiyām, more dignity in rukūʿ, more refuge in sujūd.

Science connection: Mobility work can counter stiffness associated with prolonged sitting and limited hip extension.³

Sunnah aligned habit: Enter prayer with presence, not haste.

Spiritual benefit: Less rushing in recitation, more inward gathering.

Science connection: Diaphragmatic and slow paced breathing are associated with improved stress regulation and autonomic balance.¹²

Sunnah practice: Walk to the masjid when possible.

Evidence: Each step can erase a sin and raise a rank. 

Spiritual benefit: The body moves in obedience, and the heart arrives softened.

Psychological benefit: Rhythmic walking supports mood, reduces stress load, and improves attention.

Sunnah practice: Guard the stomach.

Evidence: “A human being fills no worse vessel than his stomach,” and the guidance of thirds. 

Spiritual benefit: A lighter body often yields a more attentive heart.

Psychological benefit: Better energy stability, fewer crashes, less agitation.

If it is treated purely as exercise and rehabilitation, and we avoid religious rituals, invocations, and spiritual framing foreign to Islam, many scholars consider the physical movements permissible as a neutral means. We keep intention, language, and boundaries clear.

It can support khushūʿ indirectly by reducing physical discomfort, improving breathing regulation, and making stillness easier. Khushūʿ is ultimately from Allah (swt), but we take the means that remove distractions.

Perfectionism in Islam is replaced by sincerity and steadiness. The Sunnah discourages extremes that lead to collapse. We aim for consistent obedience, not a punishing ideal.

Mental health and Islam are not separate worlds. Regulating breath, reducing chronic tension, and building sustainable routines can support emotional stability, while dhikr and ṣalāh remain the heart’s true medicine. 

Overcoming shame in Islam begins by returning to Allah (swt) with hope and humility, not self loathing. We treat setbacks as information, not identity. We return gently, and we rebuild small habits that we can actually maintain.

When the body becomes more open, the prayer becomes more settled. When the breath becomes calmer, the recitation becomes more present. When the joints become kinder, sujūd becomes longer. And when sujūd becomes longer, the heart begins to heal.

May Allah (swt) grant us bodies that help us obey Him, and hearts that find their true rest in His remembrance.