Harmonizing the aging self through breath dhikr: A study of the dzikir nafas sadar Allah community in Kediri, Indonesia

A structured practice combining breathwork and Islamic remembrance (Dzikir Nafas Sadar Allah) improved psychological, spiritual, and physiological outcomes in elderly Muslims. Thirty participants aged 58–87 completed an eight-week program with three 45-minute sessions weekly. Significant improvements with large effect sizes were found across measures of depression, anxiety, stress, sleep quality, quality of life, heart rate variability, and cortisol levels. Thematic analysis revealed a Triple Pathway Model: physiological regulation through breath control, cognitive-spiritual anchoring through the utterance "Hu-Allah" fostering mindfulness and continuous remembrance, and social support from the community group. This integrates contemplative neuroscience with Islamic spiritual concepts of self-purification.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The global rise in elderly mental health vulnerability calls for holistic interventions integrating psychosocial and spiritual dimensions, yet the combined use of breathwork and dhikr within community-based settings for elderly Muslims remains underexplored. This sequential explanatory mixed-methods study examined whether structured Dzikir Nafas Sadar Allah (DNSA) practice improves psychological, spiritual, and physiological outcomes among elderly participants, and through what mechanisms such harmonization occurs. Thirty members (aged 58–87) of the DNSA community at Pondok Lansia An-Nur, Kediri, underwent an eight-week quasi-experimental intervention (three 45-minute sessions weekly). Paired-sample t-tests across eight measures (DASS-21, PSQI, WHOQOL-BREF, HRV-RMSSD, salivary cortisol) revealed statistically significant improvements (p < .001) with large effect sizes (Cohen's d = 0.937–1.450). Thematic analysis of ten purposively selected informants identified three interrelated dimensions: technical-physiological (parasympathetic activation through breath regulation), cognitive-spiritual (the "Hu-Allah" utterance as an anchor for muraqabah and istimrar al-dhikr), and social-communal (the interpretive community as a holding environment); these were synthesized into a proposed Triple Pathway Model linking bottom-up physiological regulation, top-down meaning-making, and communal reinforcement. The study's contribution lies in integrating standardized instruments, physiological biomarkers, and a documented reflexive coding process within a single design an approach not previously achieved in the dhikr-and-ageing literature. Theoretically, it bridges contemplative neuroscience with Al-Ghazali's tazkiyat al-nafs; practically, it offers a replicable protocol for geriatric psycho-spiritual intervention design