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The classes are aimed at men over 50 and they take place every Thursday
Leaders at a mosque in Bradford have said they are “shocked” that a video of their men’s pilates class has received more than two million views on social media.
Jamia Usmania Mosque on Heaton Road hosts the classes aimed at men over 50 every Thursday.
Mohammed Ilyas, secretary at the mosque, said they had launched the sessions to try and improve the health and wellbeing of older men and hoped to introduce sessions for women in the future.
The classes have proved so popular that the mosque has had to limit the numbers of men taking part due to space.
Mr Ilyas said he had been amazed at the response online.
“We are shocked to be honest, it’s gone worldwide, we’ve had nearly two million views on TikTok and a lot of views on Faceboook.”
He said they had comments from across the world about the video, with people asking how they can run similar classes in their own mosques.
“I personally had a lot of calls asking to hold these classes across England in a number of mosques,” he added.
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Mohammed Ilyas says the sessions are about making the mosque a community hub in addition to being a centre for prayer
Zara Kayani leads the classes and said he was passionate about delivering health improvements for the men participating.
“Younger men are more into body-building, body image, but as the men grow older there’s less opportunity for them,” he said.
He said he believed the classes helped to improve flexibility, and that they had both mental and spiritual benefits.
“It’s an opportunity for men to come together, have a laugh,” he said.
He said he had no idea why the video of the class had found a large audience, but admitted the classes had proved popular.
“We’ve done no publicity, it’s just word of mouth.
“We’ve seen the classes grow from seven to 20 to 25, so we’re having to limit some of the classes because the numbers are growing day by day.”
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Abid Khan says the sessions are “helping him a lot”
Those attending the classes clearly find it beneficial.
Abid Khan began to attend after he had a heart transplant in June 2024
“It’s helped me a lot both physically and emotionally,” the 62-year-old said.
“I’ve met new people and some are now my best friends. I really enjoy it.”
Habib Rehman, 60, said he was amazed the video of their class had done so well.
He said he suffered from sciatica and lower back pain and had been “looking for something to do”.
“This is helping and also you meet people and socialise as well.”
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The men taking part range in age from their mid 50s to their 80s
Mr Ilyas said the fact the sessions were sociable was an important part of what they had hoped to achieve.
“The instructor gets everyone involved into the class and after class they are all having a cup of tea, having some fruits and biscuits.
“They are enjoying the session away from being sat at home in front of the telly.
“That one hour of exercise goes a long way.”
Mr Ilyas said it was also about making the mosque the centre of the community.
“Mosques are mainly used for prayers and we want to be more inclusive and we want the mosque to be a community hub.”
He said they were currently developing a new building nearby which would enable them to do more including offering women’s classes.