Chapter Eight: Physical Exercise and Bodily Fitness

The Interdependence of Body and Psyche

In psychology, the infrastructure of the psyche and the body is given comprehensive attention. The soul, heart, breath, and psyche—encompassing emotions and conscience—are inherently dependent on the body. Neuroscience and psychological research confirm that physical health, including nutrition and exercise, profoundly impacts brain function and mental well-being, aligning with psychosomatic theories. The inner faculties (janāḥ), representing the internal essence of a person, are directly correlated with the external organs (jawāriḥ), such as the brain, physical heart, hands, feet, eyes, ears, lungs, stomach, intestines, and similar structures. The inner faculties comprise three primary levels: the soul, the heart, and the breath, while the external organs constitute the visible components of the body.

Just as a person with a suitable bed enjoys restful and healthy sleep, whereas an unsanitary or uncomfortable bed leads not only to disturbed sleep but also to troubled dreams, a healthy body fosters a harmonious inner state. An individual seeking to evaluate their inner condition must begin with their physical health, prioritizing sleep hygiene, nutritious diet, and consistent physical exercise to enhance flexibility, improve balance, and reduce pain. A sound inner state resides within a healthy body, and a healthy body is sustained by a balanced and healthy psyche.

Dreams serve as a metric for assessing one’s inner state and quality of life, reflecting both physical and mental health. Stress, sleep disorders, or physical ailments, such as sleep apnea, can precipitate disturbed dreams. Individuals experiencing troubled dreams may be afflicted by occupational burnout, physical illness, psychological disorders, excessive indulgences, or the influence of illicit consumption, which dominates their being. In contrast, a person endowed with a healthy body and inner state is unlikely to lack pleasant, auspicious, or cautionary dreams, nor to find themselves bewildered or caught off guard in their dreamscapes. An individual lacking physical and inner health derives little benefit from spiritual practices or devotions, despite their engagement in worship or remembrance.

The Foundations of Physical Health

Achieving a healthy body necessitates a wholesome diet, proper sleep hygiene, physical activity, exercise, and engagement in meaningful spiritual practices to facilitate bodily conditioning. Such conditioning fosters psychological tranquility. Bodily conditioning relies exclusively on its foundational pillars: nutrition, hygiene, medical care, exercise, and appropriate spiritual and divine practices.

Exercise complements the nutritional process by enhancing metabolism, preventing the accumulation of excess calories in the body. Regular, rhythmic physical exercises are pivotal in maintaining and promoting bodily health, enhancing agility, and invigorating the self. Just as stagnant water becomes a breeding ground for microbes and contamination, a body deprived of regular and fluid movement succumbs to stagnation, lethargy, weakness, and disease. Regular exercise benefits cardiovascular health, strengthens the immune system, and supports mental well-being, aiding in the prevention and treatment of conditions such as diabetes and depression.

Exercise serves not only as a medicine for the body but as the most effective therapeutic method for recovering from any ailment, provided it is tailored to the specific condition. The absence of exercise, inadequate hygiene, poor nutrition, and weak dietary regimens are primary causes of disease. Exercise is among the most effective means of strengthening willpower. Avicenna, in emphasizing the importance of movement therapy and exercise, stated:

“Not all components of the food we consume serve a nutritional function; rather, at each stage of digestion, a portion transforms into waste material, which nature strives to expel from the body. However, nature lacks the capacity to eliminate all waste, and some remnants of food persist in the body after each digestive phase. As these waste materials accumulate, they become harmful to the body. Thus, there is no alternative but to expel them through exercise.”

Exercise generates gentle heat within the body, gradually breaking down waste materials, systematically dislodging and expelling them, and preventing their harmful accumulation. By eliminating waste, the body creates space for new nutrients, enabling organs to better assimilate food. Exercise, through increased metabolism and perspiration, facilitates toxin elimination.

The Role of Circulation in Bodily Health

Blood circulation performs three critical functions: respiration, delivering oxygen to cells and removing carbon dioxide produced by cellular metabolism; nutrition, supplying cells with essential nutrients; and detoxification, eliminating toxins and waste generated by cellular activity. Insufficient blood flow to an organ impairs its function and vitality, hindering growth, performance, resistance, and immunity proportional to the reduction in circulation. Movement of the limbs accelerates blood flow, enhancing respiration and nutrition to the organs. Exercise improves blood circulation, increases oxygen delivery to tissues, and strengthens muscles and organs. In essence, movement heightens the body’s demand for oxygen and nutrients, boosting blood flow and supplying greater quantities of both. Consequently, organs with limited activity experience relative anemia and progressive weakness, while those engaged in frequent movement naturally attract more blood, and thus more oxygen and nutrients.

Exercise as a Purifier

Exercise is a pure and cleansing sustenance for the human soul. When performed correctly, it not only avoids introducing impurities to the body and psyche but also purges existing contaminants, strengthening the lungs, digestive system, and circulatory system, and promoting healthy respiration and digestion. Exercise opens the skin’s pores, facilitating healthy cutaneous respiration and preventing the body from becoming a repository of clots, dead cells, or hardened deposits. It channels negative energies within the body. By increasing perspiration and blood flow to the skin, exercise aids in clearing pores and enhancing skin health.

Skin laden with dead cells and excessive oil, which clogs pores, is prone to acne. A body unaccustomed to exercise lacks readiness, flexibility, and resilience, rendering it vulnerable to physical stress or injury. Exercise fosters mental fortitude and intellectual clarity, curbing excessive, irrational perfectionism, complacency, and laziness.

Individuals who neglect exercise and fail to cleanse their body, stomach, and intestines experience disturbed sleep and troubled dreams. Such dreams reflect the rigidity and inflexibility of the body, admitting no alternative interpretation. Regular exercise can remedy sleep disorders, promoting restful and high-quality sleep, reducing issues like insomnia, and fostering balanced dreams through improved mental health.

Exercise and Reproductive Health

The absence of consistent, rhythmic physical activity that generates bodily warmth and dispels lethargy can contribute to infertility in women. Regular and appropriate exercise can mitigate both infertility and the risk of miscarriage in physically frail women, improving reproductive health and reducing miscarriage risk. Postural issues, such as kyphosis, may also arise from a lack of exercise, leading to complications in the spine, lower back, legs, and neck.

Exercise in Modern Life

An individual lacking physical activity experiences reduced metabolism, rendering them unable to consume calorie-dense foods like stews, bread, or starchy rice without compensatory physical exertion, which exercise can provide. In an era where bodies are seldom engaged in strenuous labor, exercise is a rational and scientific necessity. Physical activity and exercise enhance the quality of prayer by fostering bodily flexibility, as the structure of prayer itself constitutes a form of physical exercise, with specific invocations complementing the movements.

A lack of exercise leads to bodily stagnation and decay, rendering the body susceptible to microbes, contamination, and disease. Among the simplest forms of physical activity that engage the entire body is rolling on the ground, an accessible, cost-free exercise requiring no gym. While walking is beneficial, it does not engage all body parts and cannot substitute for comprehensive exercise. Brisk walking for thirty minutes, however, can enhance metabolism, improve cardiovascular health, increase endurance, and promote weight loss.

Tailored Exercise Regimens

Bodyweight exercises, such as push-ups, can strengthen muscles, improve bone density, and boost energy levels. Physical exercise, tailored to individual characteristics, is recommended for at least five to fifteen minutes daily or three times weekly. Simple exercises, including stretching and rotational movements, can enhance flexibility, blood circulation, and muscle health. The following are suitable exercises for bodily fitness:

Exercise One: Rolling on the Ground

An essential exercise involves rolling the body on the ground with arms extended overhead. This is particularly beneficial for individuals with abdominal obesity. Rolling on the stomach and back until perspiration occurs, practiced daily for several months, breaks down and eliminates accumulated, corrupted bodily deposits.

Exercise Two: Arm and Ankle Movements

Opening and closing the arms directly affects the heart, elevating its rate and preventing blood thickening or clotting. Simultaneously, moving the ankles up and down induces contraction and relaxation of leg muscles, strengthening them.

Exercise Three: Neck Rotations

Rotating the neck left, right, up, and down should be performed slowly and with extension. Temporary discomfort after a week of practice is normal, akin to stirring stagnant, impure water; regular bathing will alleviate it. Neck movements include tilting upward (backward), downward, left, and right. Rotational neck movements should be minimal and gentle to avoid inducing arthritis.

These three exercises are essential for all individuals. Ideally, they should be performed together in a single session; if not feasible, they may be done individually or in pairs.

Conclusion

The most effective remedies are hygiene and exercise—not professional athletics. The three aforementioned exercises are suitable for bodily fitness. Fully extending the body with maximum effort opens all joints, countering the stiffness and entanglement common in sedentary individuals. Arms, legs, neck, and fingertips must be thoroughly stretched to maintain mobility and health.