Dubai: A Canadian company has launched what it describes as workshops that will enable Muslims to pray with greater comfort.
Timez5 said the workshops, involving stretching and flexing exercises, are “specifically designed” to enable “a more comfortable joint and muscle pain-free enjoyable prayer experience.”
The firm hosted four complementary sessions at Raffles Hotel Dubai following an official launch of the workshop.
Timez5 CEO Nader Sabry told Gulf News some Muslims with underlying ailments find prayers less easy to perform.
Muslims pray five times a day in a ritual that involves standing, bowing, prostrating and sitting resting on the forelegs.
The 45-minute workshop will “enable Muslims to shed the daily accumulated negative ergonomic effects on their bodies”, the company said.
Sabry clarified that the effects were related to individual lifestyle, health and posture problems rather than prayer.
“There can be a variety of reasons for that – how you sit, where you work, how you travel in a bus. Ninety-two per cent of products aren’t ergonomically designed,” Sabry said.
The company plans future sessions in the UAE, but the cost and other arrangements have not yet been finalised, he added.
He added that the workshops were a result of years of tests, surveys, and research and development at the company headquarters in Canada.
There are five basic workshop exercises – for the neck, abdomen, lower back, thighs and knees – said Emirati Eman Al Janahi, resident physiotherapist at Timez5.
“These exercises aren’t new or specific to prayer, anyone can do them. But they help in flexibility and strength, which will help you perform prayers,” said Eman, who conducted some sessions on Thursday.
“Getting the right posture, knowing how to use muscle tone to support weight on the bone or joint – that can help avoid a lot of future problems.”
The event was organised in collaboration with the Canadian embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Canadian general consulate in Dubai.
Arif Lalani, Canada’s ambassador to the UAE, was represented at the launch ceremony by Michael Wooff, consul and senior trade commissioner for the UAE.
Timez5 also offers a $250 (around Dh920) “physiological” prayer mat that “helps relieve pain, stiffness, and improve posture and energy”.
