AQUA YOGA: FLOATING FITNESS

Water is one of the five elements which come together to form our bodies and it is more than justified that we unite with it as much as we can. A new form of yoga which is called Aqua Yoga, Hydro yoga or Water Yoga is becoming popular across the globe. But why, do yoga in water when it is designed to be done on solid ground? This question tops the F.A.Q list at any Water Yoga conference or classroom.

 

As unconventional as it sounds it is slowly making serious inroads into the mainstream fitness industry because of a wide range of health benefits it brings to its practitioners. Just imagine practicing yoga in a pool of water. What do you think the differences will be? Firstly and most importantly it reduces the risk of conventional yoga related fatigue and injuries. By practicing yoga postures in water which serves as an environment acting as a perfect shock absorbers not allowing any extra pressure to trickle down to out joints and muscles. Secondly, it allows people suffering from osteoporosis and arthritis to reap the benefits of yoga without the risk of further degeneration. Water Yoga is becoming very popular among the elderly and the overweight sections of the society. By controlling the movements and postures in water these people can attain much needed strength and lose the stubborn fat respectively. Unlike yoga done on the mat and floor, Water Yoga is a boon for pregnant women, who can do it without any risk of harm to the baby and themselves. But one needs to take care that Water Yoga needs to be performed with certain precautions which are as follows:

1. Session length: an average water yoga lesion should last for about 45-55 minutes.
2. Water temperature: too hot or too cold water is not conducive for Water Yoga. Temperatures should vary between 82-86 degrees.
3. Water Type: the water in the yoga pool should be free from chlorine and at a later stage can be saturated with extra minerals and even oxygen to promote absorption of the same.
4. Non swimmers: Non swimmers can also do water yoga under specialized supervision and to begin with, in shallow pools
5. Weekly dose of original yoga: we suggest you to do conventional floor yoga at least once a week to continue understanding and reaping the true benefits of Water Yoga as well.

UNIFYING YOGA

In the rapidity of modern times we have lost an important aspect of our lives i.e. the innocence and harmony of community and its spirit. The most essential and important social weapon in our hands which has always protected and sheltered us from all adversities is our ability to bond. Unfortunately, these times do not give us the mental, physical and social space to forge bonds with the ease of the days gone by. Today the associations are either business oriented or fed by specific motives in mind.

But there is an ancient weapon that can help us demolish the walls dividing us all. This weapon is not of mass destruction but what we at www.comfortinstylemag.com call “The weapon of mass construction” and that is YOGA. It is only recently that yoga has entered into the personal spaces of our balconies and bedrooms, which is rather deflating to see because by bringing yoga to our personal spaces we are unable to reap the benefits of the many adjunct advantages that come associated with it. Since its inception Yoga has been a group activity promoting a spirit of togetherness. By performing yoga in a group, you too can inculcate certain values which are the moorings for a balanced future. It not only teaches you physical and mental balance but infuses in you a spirit of respect and ability to understand people around you. But most importantly by helping each other attain the perfect balance by being a part of the same space you not only influence others but also become more receptive towards seeking and receiving help from others, making you a socially more responsible person. Whether it is a complex series Asanas or a plain simple breathing exercise, by doing it together in a rhythm you learn to follow a pattern becoming harmonious people in this rhythm lost world.

Being fed by each others’ energies you can learn the essentials of team spirit thus becoming more confident individuals ready to accept new challenges everyday and working together with people to overcome them. This may sound too ambitious to a lot of people who would say “dear friend, life doesn’t run that way”. But our answer to them is “dear friends, take care of the small things, and the big ones will fall into place.”So we urge you all to take some time off of your busy schedules and take yoga out of your bedrooms to a more social plane in order to understand and absorb the true essence of the art.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: Matt J. Olsen (www.flickr.com)

THE ALLOY OF FITNESS: YOGILATES

Gone are those days when we gathered wild berries and hunted deer in the forest to help calm a growling tummy. We have reached a stage where we can pop open a can of soda, with a nice precooked meal and have a blasting evening. Ever wondered why? It is rather simple; because we are a race of inventors. We possess exceptional mental capabilities which can be seen in the ingenuity with which we try to make our lives simpler. Just like we developed stainless steel by mixing two metals, we have also created a new fitness regime called YOGILATES or YOGALATES.

 

A perfect amalgamation of the age old practice of yoga, which was born inIndiaand the modern miracle developed by the German Joseph Pilates, Yogilates is a rage among the new age fitness freaks. Despite being criticized by the so called purist groups who believe in the sanctity of the two different forms of exercise Yogilates is fast emerging as the first choice fitness mantra. Now, what makes this a revolution and how is it different from Yoga and Pilates individually? Do not worry. The vast amount of data on the internet can be rather confusing. We bring it to you in a simple step by step point form. Here it goes:-

1. Yogilates comprises of the essential elements of yoga and Pilates, as the name suggest.
2. Using the posture techniques from the Yogi school and the muscle building techniques from the Pilates school it blends the two very similar activities together.
3. It borrows the aim of strengthening the core of the body i.e. the spine, abs, pelvic muscles and those of lower back without bulking them up.
4. It promotes muscle strength without compromising on the flexibility of the body, which it promotes through various yogic practices.
5. Since yoga does not pay much attention to specific muscle groups, yogilates uses various elements from Pilates to concentrate on specific muscle groups.
6. Most importantly , what allows this perfect fusion are the basic principles on which the two activities are grounded i.e. those of breathing and concentration
7. Both Pilates and yoga believe in the power of the mind to affect changes in and on the body.

Understanding Yoga: Part 2

Imagine you get up one morning; go to the kitchen and find no water; step outside for your morning walk and do not feel the cool breeze easing you of the burning sun; and when you finally come back home to cook something you find that there is no fire. Scary isn’t it?

Now most of you must be thinking that why did we talk about water fire and wind. Well that is because Yoga is not just an isolated entity which can come of great use without deep understanding the other pieces of the vast jigsaw puzzle.

 

After glancing through the basic historical context of Yoga in our previous article “Understanding yoga: Part 1” where we gave our readers a gist of the ancient texts -Sanskrit. Now it is the time to shift our attention to the second set of pointers to focus on. Imagine this set of articles as a tree, the first one being the understanding of the roots. We are gradually moving up towards the trunk, branches, leaves, flowers and fruits. Keeping this analogy in mind Yoga assumes the role of the fruit which ripens if the tree is healthy.

 

So to begin, it becomes very critical to understand the 4 basic elements that yoga and the entire process of union is loosely arrayed around. According to Hindu mythology and its texts, the dynamics of the earth, humans and in fact the entire universe are controlled by 4 basic elements of nature namely:

*before you begin reading the list of elements we request you to try and remember the terms in their original language for better understanding. (p.s.: it is always fun to show off a couple of words from an ancient language)

1.  1. Vaayu (air): this element is generally associated with motion and dynamics. The gusts of wind help us cool down but more importantly we live because air gives us the most important aspect of our existence i.e. oxygen. The masters believed that air and wind controlled and influenced the movements of our body. From the movement of the diaphragm to the twitching of the muscles everything is said to be controlled by “ Vaayu”
2.  2. Agni (fire): now, as an element we associate fire with destruction but forget to understand that fire is the source of all life. The sun keeps us warm, our body functions at a specific temperature. Even in destruction, there is a hidden aspect of construction or rather creation. The best example is the forest fire which burns the forest only to pave way for new life that hibernates below the surface. Heat is essential for all bodily functions from digestion to excretion
3. Jal (water): needless to say one can survive without food for 3 weeks but without water one cannot last for more than three days. If you wish to know more about the magic of water you can read our article on the same titled “Simply water”. For the record our body is 70% water.
4. Prithvi (earth): all the matter in this world is constituted from this element called earth. Modern science believes that everything in this world is made up of carbon. Ancient gurus just had a different name. We arise from this earth and end up in it too. Our hair, skin and nails are all composed of this element.

These were the 4 basic elements that the entire world is centered around but there is another element which is generally not mentioned while discussing the aforementioned components as it is not as tangible as the others. Space is the supreme part as all the above mentioned elements come together to find union in space.

Keep in mind, that yoga cannot be fully understood with a petty and typical “weight loss” or “I want to remain fit” motive. The process of exploration includes many stages, one of which is the comprehension of all important parts. The ancient masters believed that the elements discussed in the article are not just around but inside of us and understanding our relationship with the outer world was not as important as understanding our relationship with ourselves. In the coming articles we will give you secret one line mantras to explore the sweetest part of Yoga.  Come back for more!

Yoga mantra: TO BEGIN KNOW YOURSELF FROM WITHIN!!!

Read “Understanding Yoga: Part 1”

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo  credits: PaddyMurphy ( www.flickr.com)

 

CHAKRAS: Energy centers of your body

Italy did not only give the world pastas and pizzas. It was home to one of the most underrated yet important scientist in the world. Luigi Galvani may not be as popular as others in the established cannon of science but is no way less important. He discovered one of the most rudimentary forms of forces governing the system of every living being on the face of the earth. He observed that the legs of the dead frog twitched when a jolt of electricity passed through them establishing the importance of electricity in the biological world.

Today we all know that our brain sends signals all across our bodies helping to keep things running smoothly. Everything is governed in this world by active, passive or incipient energy.  From a dormant seed lying buried in its wintry bed that later becomes a towering spectacle to the severed tail of a lizard that flickers even after separation everything in this world possesses energy. The best example of a receptacle of various forms of energies is the Human body. We possess different forms of energies stored at different places in our bodies. The Indian Vedas (a set of 4 books dealing with everything human, from music to breathing to even effectively invoking and appeasing gods) term these energy centers as “CHAKRAS”. For those who do not understand the language of the Vedas, Chakras in the easiest terms could refer to the Channels or centers through which energy is dissipated and absorbed in our bodies. Every chakra is very critically positioned as it handles a set of extremely important functions in the body. Following is a list of Chakras in the body from bottom to top:

 

Muladhara — Base or Root Chakra (last bone in spinal cord)
Swadhisthana — Sacral Chakra (ovaries/prostate)
Manipura — Solar Plexus Chakra (navel area)
Anahata — Heart Chakra (heart area)
Vishuddha — Throat Chakra (throat and neck area)
Ajna — Brow or Third Eye Chakra (pineal gland or third eye)
Sahasrara — Crown Chakra (Top of the head; ‘Soft spot’ of a newborn)

 

 

On one hand conventional science does not consider these chakras as a part of its empirical framework and on the other doesn’t define the force that guides our emotional and spiritual sides into the world of stress and serenity. All the chakras are represented by a lotus flower with increasing number of petals in ascending order signifying the frequency at which the respective chakra functions. Hinduism’s deep rooted faith in yoga and its adjunct practices lead to the development of a theory that postulates that the human body is a microcosm of the universe and possesses two forms of energies namely Shiva i.e. the masculine and Shakti i.e. the feminine lying dormant at two different centers of the body. The ultimate goal of all Hindus is to attain or rather try and attain a unity or harmony between the two aforementioned energies. Therefore many yogic practices try and unlock the potential energy in the Shakti or “Kundalini” which lies in the last bone of the spine to move up across all the Chakras creating harmony on its way to achieving complete oneness and harmony with Shiva. The Chakras are a very sensitive and can lose balance at the least amount of stress that one endures. With modern day lifestyles wreaking havoc on our lives we seem to have no time to keep ourselves stress free. It is not possible to find solace either mentally or physically. What therefore becomes important to understand is that every Chakra works at a certain frequency or vibration rate. All clogged Chakras can be restores to full working potential by being a little vigilant. Following are some ways to open up blocked chakras thus promoting free flow of good energy in ones body:

 

 

 

 

1. Controlled breathing

2. Color therapy

3. Yoga

4. Reiki

5. Music therapy (read our article “The magic of Music“)

6. Aromatherapy

7. Reflexology 

UNDERSTANDING YOGA: Part 01

What makes us different from other species that exist in parallel to us is that we possess the ability to answer questions related to us and our surroundings. But this intelligence has somehow stopped us from thinking that to get the right answers, the right questions need to be asked. Today many people can answer how yoga is beneficial for the body. But interestingly most of cannot answer what yoga truly is. Ok! Lets us begin with a small set of questions:

1. Where did yoga come from?
2. What is the meaning of the word yoga?
3. Which is the text that deals with the earliest elements of yoga?
4. Which language is the text written in?
5. How old do you think is yoga as a practice?

The Magic of Music

Working in the office trying to complete a presentation on time, when you hear Andrea Bocelli’s “Besame Mucho” you feel relaxed. Much in the same manner Mark Knopfler holding his guitar singing his magnum opus song “Sultans of swing” stirs the repressed desires of becoming rockers when in college. Such is the power of music. It can take you back to the good old school days and can even take you ten years ahead into the future.

Music has been with us since our inception. Whether the birds around us or the waves crashing into the rocks, the almighty has made sure that we are constantly surrounded by music in one form or the other. But just for the record one of the earliest known forms of music that we developed rationally was deeply ingrained in Indian culture and religion. The practice of appeasing gods by chanting hymns and couplets is an ancient tradition. Simply chanting the word “OM” is a deeply ingrained practice of every Indian household. The Vedas, which were and still are the most revered sources to study Indian cultural practices prescribe a certain way to sing and chant different hymns or Mantras as they call it depending on the beats of the heart and other bodily processes. Such has been the success of these stipulations that even after many thousand years of their inception countries like Germany and Singapore are carrying out detailed researches trying to garner more information about the depth of music and its powers.

Music has the power to relax, heal and unite. Talking about its therapeutic powers music is now being used to:

1. Treat patients of acute depression and other neurological problems.
2. Music has also shown its powers by wielding its healing powers over Alzheimer’s patients.
3. Many nursing mothers are adopting a new habit of making their newly born and in some cases even unborn kids listen to soothing music.
4. Music has also shown to have restored movements in many paralytic patients across the globe

Some western instauration refuses to give any credibility to the efficacy to this magical form. Despite 15% of the American hospitals using music therapy as an integral part of their treatment procedures the other institutions are not ready to include this therapy in corpus of conventional medicine.

Music comes with its own body of scientific thought. Many scientists cum musicians believe that the sound and songs that we feel connected to are the ones which address and redress our emotions and issues respectively. But how does music manage to do the aforementioned task? Well it is presently conjectured that when a vibration of music resonates inside our body and matches the frequencies of our bodily processes like the heart beat or the blood flow, we feel that connection. Therefore to say that music is just a conjunction of sweet sounds is an extremely inharmonious (irony intended!) view towards the art. Although we do not wish to preach or indoctrinate non musical minds we just wish to give their parched brains a taste of the musical elixir. So do not remain impervious to the darts of music, because music is not just a blessing, its a bliss!!

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo  credits: notorious d.a.v. ( www.flickr.com)

SMILE: To Set Yourself Free

The family lines up; the photographer makes some changes to the lineup and then says “SMILE”. Everybody in the family show their glistening white pearls and then comes the sound of the shutter “click” and the moment is captured forever. Even after many years that photograph possesses the magic to usher smiles on the faces of the people looking at it. All the things in this world are transient. But what lasts are memories and the good memories always stay locked in some hidden corner of our hearts waiting to unleash a rapturous enchantment upon us in times of dejection.

We succumb to the forces of nature and end up in the heap of dust from which we were made. But we leave a part of ourselves here on earth.  So why not leave something lovely? A smile is the perfect solution to all the problems in life. Just imagine when a mother is exhausted because her baby is bubbling food out and the baby smiles, the mother forget all the messy misery and smiles with the baby. Just imagine when a nervous bride receives a comforting smile from her father at the altar, she warms up for a long life ahead. In the nutshell a smile is like a warm ray emitted from a heat source that reaches a cold and frail person.

Smiling is the key to emotional elevation which can be indirectly involved in improving physical health as well. But since we are surrounded by so many worries i.e. from worrying about increasing fuel prices to feeling blue due to a lost credit card, the art of smiling has somewhat evaporated from our lives. Here are a few ways we can add a smiley twist to our smile deprived lives:

1. Smile when you are angry: it is best to allow a mild smile to overpower the harshness of anger. So smile when you are angry, say 1, 2, 3 eeeeeeeee!!!!(Yes that’s how u should smile; all out!!)
2. Celebrate a “smiley” day: this one is for the over organized management freaks who write down everything in their event planner. Put down date in your planner and celebrate it as the smiley day. Make sure to smile during the entire day and spread the message as well.
3. Gift smiles: on special occasions like birthdays and anniversaries gift each other smiles. A creative way to do it would be to actually wear funny masks to the occasion and shout smile whenever u fell the need to do it.
4. Take it to the next level: if you are already bored of smiling subtly then take it to the next level by getting rid of all inhibitions and laughing your heart loud. It lowers blood pressure and gives your facial muscles a free workout as well!!

What is most interesting to note is the weight of science that can be associated with smiling. We spend hundreds of dollars on expensive beauty treatments and despite that search for the ultimate glow. Do we ever look inside ourselves for that glow? Do we explore the recesses of our mind and heart? Or to put it in simple terms, do we smile? What is the science behind a smile?

1. Smiling actually helps release endorphins in our body which in everyday language can be called the “feel good hormones”.
2. It also improves the efficiency of the heart and lowers cortisol levels of the body which in turn reduce stress.
3. Smiling can also intensify our happiness and change our perspective. Try laughing a bit before you actually read a joke and see the difference!!

It doesn’t matter if it’s a phony smile or a genuine smile or an innocent smile. A smile is just a smile. So you should always remember. To smile is to be happy; to smile is to love and most importantly to smile is to live. Keep smiling because live is not just to exist but to LIVE!!

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo  credits: Mallu2007 ( www.flickr.com)

Eat together to stay together

Who knew that tandoori chicken would fly half way across the globe to become the most arbitrarily chosen dish in United Kingdom? Who knew that Ronald McDonald would be happily selling hamburgers on a crowded street in India? Whether it is KFC or Indian chicken curry, food is one thing that has the power to disintegrate the social cultural and geographical walls, only to make the world seem smaller and tastier of course.

Today our dining tables have become demi cultural centers exhibiting delicacies spanning across a vast geographical extent. But why does food become such an important aspect of one’s identity? It’s simple. Just like Europeans were born with cheese and their eating culture testifies the same, Indians who were born with various spices carry the aroma of the same spices wherever they take their food. The potency of food lies not in the taste but in the process of its consumption. There is nothing better than sitting on a dining table sharing food and thoughts at the same time. The contemporary life wreaking havoc on our daily schedules leaves us no time for sitting and savoring the culinary abilities of our loved ones. What is important is to try and make eating lunch, dinner or even sipping tea a well connected affair. By eating together one does not only fill the “growling” tummy but also nurtures the mind to understand and re-connect with other people. Have we ever thought, why did daddy ask you to eat at the dining table rather than munching away to glory sitting lazily on your couch? Because he wanted to see you and ask you about your math test gone wrong or your first football match. In the nutshell he wanted to spend time with you. Thus it was the dining table which helped you both come and operate at the same plain. Food thus assumed a very important role for you and your family to come together. But today eating food has become just like a stop that you make in an unending journey to re fuel your car. You do not pay attention to what you and when you eat because there is just a minute left for the lunch break to get over. Eating slowly has lots of advantages. Many studies carried out by nutritionists around the world suggest that eating slowly helps in the following ways:

1. Lose weight:  it is said that our brain takes 20 minutes to register the point when we are actually full. So eating very fast doesn’t necessarily fill us up quicker. On the contrary it does not allow the brain to register the point where we are full thus making us overeat. But by eating slowly we give the brain enough time to tell the body that it doesn’t need more. One can lose close to 20 pounds or more a year, just by eating slowly.
2. Better digestion: by chewing our food at a slower rate we allow our food to be digested in a better way, thus reducing our tummy labor making it feel nice and light.
3. Better absorption: the food chewed well and digested slowly is absorbed in a better way and contributes towards the development of the body.
4. Inhibits appetite: if food is digested well it gives us more energy. On the flipside food not chewed and digested well passes through the body and finally exits it without any advantages leaving us feeling hungry and unsatiated.

So make an effort to sit together for at least one meal a day, discuss the day, plan your vacations over the dining table and you will see the difference in yourself. You will feel happier, sharper and smarter. What is most essential is to understand that while eating together one does not only exchange bowls across the table but also exchanges values thoughts and ideas which are the most important ingredients for a tastier life. When you eat together and smile together, you grow together. The bonds of love mature more over the dining table than any other place. So next time your mother, father, husband or wife calls you to the table to share a snack, forget about the all important Manchester united game or the new episode of desperate housewives and pounce on the opportunity to share food and share time. We take so much pain to earn our bread and butter. It is time to start enjoying it!!

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: tuis on flickr.

ACUPUNCTURE: Magical Needles

Just like an innocent handkerchief, which is otherwise a symbol of domesticity, became the harbinger of doom for Shakespeare’s Othello, a needle plays many different roles in our lives today. It is every homemaker’s weapon of mass construction and every tattoo artist’s brush. A baby cries at the sight of the needle when he goes for his first injections, but the same baby takes immense pleasure in popping big balloons using the same needle on his birthday.

Therefore the word “needle”, as the name suggests is one of the most “needed” (pun intended) article at home. The best example of the importance of needles can be easily seen in the ancient traditional practice of acupuncture.

The word acupuncture is formed by combining two Latin terms namely “acus” meaning needles and “punctura” meaning insertion or penetration. Just like many other alternative therapies like ayurveda and yoga, acupuncture is a reminder of the vast knowledge of the east. China, where this practice originated is as prominent on the world map as USA or any other country for that matter. In ancient China the human body was considered to be formed of channels through which energy could be absorbed and liberated. The key to understanding the dynamics behind the process of acupuncture is the concept of yin and yang. According to the Chinese the human body had two types of energies flowing through it namely the “yan” which is the positive energy flowing in the body and the “Yin” which is its systematic counterpart. Acupuncture aims to restore the balance between the respective energies and helps the body get rid of many problems like asthma, cholesterol and even infertility.

The Chinese also believed that the human body had certain points which corresponded with their astronomical readings. Although there are no structured researches which prove the existence of these acupuncture points but the contrary has also not been proven. But what has been proven is that acupuncture affects many other parts and processes of the body. It affects the lymph nodes, cholesterol and sugar levels along with triglyceride. By applying pressure to certain points on the body acupuncture helps in strengthening and balancing the vital energy of the body making it one of the most loved of all the alternate medicine practices. The last decade has seen the renaissance of this practice. People are not only resorting to this practice in their efforts to adopt a drug free life but are taking their pets to the practitioners of this ancient art. Even after 5000 thousand years of its birth acupuncture has not received many changes. The modern form of acupuncture still utilizes the same 649 pressure points that have been systematically listed by the members of the Tisn dynasty (618-917 A.D). It’s just that needles of sticks and stones have been replaced by sterilized titanium and in some cases even gold and silver.

In the last decade acupuncture has developed as a practice that can be used for the following purposes:

1. To alleviate pain
2. To reduce weight
3. To treat asthma
4. To treat infertility
5. To quit smoking
6. For facial rejuvenation
7. To prevent back pain
8. To help arthritis patients
9. To strengthen the immune system
10. To calm the nervous system

This traditional Chinese medicine is becoming so popular these days that many insurance companies around the world are covering acupuncture procedures in their policies. Maybe next time before you take a pain killer, explore the alternative way to ease the pain and reap the benefits of the age old Chinese tradition.

This article is brought to you by YogacaraShop.com – your source for special Yoga Apparel, yoga inspired clothing, comfort clothing clothing designed according to the Colors of the Chakras and the best trendy, high quality and comfortable  Fitness Apparel do visit YogacaraShop.com

Photo credits: ggvic on flickr.

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