Explore the
Ultimate Solutions to Stress
with DurgaMata
to
Build Resilience
and
Increase Happiness
We offer joyful and empowering Workshops and
Mindfulness-Based Happiness Coaching
INTRODUCTION TO STRESS
Stress is a natural reaction to danger and prepares us to escape with the
"fight, flight and freeze" response. If the danger is physical then the stress response may well save our life.
But in today's world, most of the stress comes from the environment and it's often ongoing. As a result, our stress response remains high, which is extremely harmful for physical and mental health.
DurgaMata, author, silk-paint artist and musician has been practicing Mindfulness for over 40 years
Her Programmes include talks and workshops on Mindfulness, workshops which combine silk-painting and mindfulness, ideal for Staff Wellbeing Days. She draw on her own experience as a teacher and student of mindfulness, as well as an in-depth knowledge of stress and what is most effective in building resilience and inner peace.
The Mindfulness-Based Silk-Painting Programme is very popular and great for improving staff morale as well as reducing stress. This requires a minimum of 2 hours and a maximum of 15 people. DurgaMata will provide all materials and will deliver this either in-house or at a convenient location.
Each participant creates their own hand-painted silk scarf and this anchors the learning as well as providing a beautiful and unique piece of wearable art.
The Covid Pandemic resulted in a 55% increase in the number of people seeking help with stress and anxiety globally. With all the additional issues such as the wars in Ukraine and Gaza,
and the ever-growing threat of Climate Change,
this epidemic of toxic stress (and 'reactive' depression) continues to increase.
We use our experience to create yours
After retiring from teaching, DurgaMata began pursuing her passion for improved health and wellbeing, teaching Mindfulness, Silk-Painting, Forest Bathing and Breath-work - four of the most powerful strategies for reducing stress and improving mental health.
The philosophy underpinning Ultimate Stress Solutions is a belief that we are all interconnected, we are part of each other and the wider world. We really can make a difference. By working with groups and individuals, to reduce stress and increase inner peace, we improve not only their own individual inner peace and happiness, but contribute to making the whole world just a little bit happier and more peaceful.
At Ultimate Stress Solutions, we include four of the most empowering and clinically proven strategies for managing stress:
Mindfulness, Silk-Painting, Forest Bathing and Breathwork
Silk-Painting
Any form of creativity has the capacity to bring us into the present moment. Silk-Painting is particularly effective.
When we place paint on paper, we think about where we'll put it and as we progress, we look at it and judge it with our critical mind. But when you place liquid dye on a fabric - especially silk, you have very little control. You simply play with the colours and the silk plays with you. The colours flow together and the abstract results are always beautiful.
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is the universal human capacity for self-observation. When you practice mindfulness, you bring your attention to the present moment, here and now. We notice where we are, what we're doing, thinking and feeling.
In addition to this focused awareness, we bring an attitude of curiosity, honesty, acceptance, kindness, compassion and self-love. There is absolutely no criticism or judgement in mindfulness.
Forest Bathing
Forest Bathing
Forest Bathing originated in Japan in the 1980s. There was a big push to increase productivity and young people started to drop dead, often at work. This was found to be due to stress-related heart-attacks.
At that time, work-related stress was literally killing people. The government organised trials of many different strategies to see what would be most effective at reducing stress. It was found that any contact with nature relaxes the neocortex and reduces stress. Think of how we love to take our holidays by the sea or up in the mountains. We feel refreshed by the space and beauty of nature. But the Japanese study discovered that the colour green is most effective in relaxing our brain and when is spent around trees in a forested environment, the benefits are especially powerful.
Doctors now prescribe spending time in the forest for people who are suffering from persistent or toxic stress. Japanese call this shinrin-yoku, which translates as Forest Bathing.
Trees produce special oils which protect them from fungi and insects and these are found in the air around trees. When we breathe them in, they strengthen our immune system giving even more benefit.
The longer we can spend in a wooded environment, the greater the benefits - for both physical and mental health we enjoy.
Breath-Work
Breath-Work is closely associated with Mindfulness. In the video above, DurgaMata lieads a workshop in a Rhythmic Breathing exercise..
Conscious Breathing
In conscious breathing we simply bring our attention to our breath and observe the inhale and exhale, without making any deliberate change to the way we are breathing. We notice the way that air enters our nostrils and the way our chest and back move with each breath.
The next exercise may be to deliberately make our breath slower and deeper. We notice whether this affects how we are feeling - both the physical sensations and emotions which we may be feeling. Slowing and deepening our breath often helps reduce stress and give us time to reflect on any situation and choose how to respond, rather than simply reacting to any situation.
Diaphragmatic Breathing
The diaphragm is a muscle which separates our chest and abdomen. It is the main muscle involved in breathing. When relaxed it arches up slightly into our chest cavity and when it contracts it flattens out, pressing into our abdomen and forcing our lungs to expand and draw in air. To fill our lungs and reduce stress, we need to use breathe from our belly, using our diaphragm.
Rhythmic Breathing.
Stress is related to the inhale. Relaxation is linked to our exhale. Think of how we gasp - take a sharp inhlae - when alarmed, while if everything is fine, we give a sigh of relief. We can use this to conscoiusly reduce stress by breathing with a rhythm and making the exhale longer than the inhale. DurgaMata gives an exercise in the video above where we inhale to a count of 4, hold for 4 and exhale for a count of 8 before holding for 2 and then repeating this rhythm. Do this for a few minutes whenever you feel stressed and notice how it helps to lower your blood-pressure and reduce your heart-rate.
The Monthly Mindfulness-Joy Silk-Painting Workshops
With over 170 million refugees worldwide refugees suffer more stress than most other demographics. As a Community Interest Company we offer workshops each month in South-West London which are free for refugees.
- Our Free Service to Refugees with the monthly Mindfulness-Joy Silk-Painting Mini-Retreat Workshops held in London. These powerful 5-hour 'Mini-Retreat Workshops' which include Mindfulness, Values, Forest Bathing, Dance, Silk-Painting, Live Music (for relaxation and reflection), a Visualisation (rooted in Light, Oneness and Gratitude) and a Vegetarian Feast.
- There are three prices for non-refugees. This is a 5-hour mini-retreat which includes painting silk-scarves and a full vegetarian feast. It costs a lot to run, so the full price has to reflect this.
The full price is £150.00
Cost price is £75.00
And a nominal £27.00 for those on low income.
Look on Eventbrite for the next workshop. - Mindfulness, Forest Bathing and Sketching events in Kew Gardens -
For the remainder of 2026 we have paused these workshops - grant-funding pending - and are holding Mindfulness, Forest Bathing and Sketching events in Kew Gardens - see below.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/mindfulness-forest-bathing-and-sketching-in-kew-gardens-tickets-2003570864390
The Mindfulness-Joy Silk-Painting Workshops
Corporate and Community Workshops
DurgaMata views the whole field of education as something of a stress factory and it was her own experience and observation of the way that stress harmed the lives of both staff and students which motivated her to become an entrepreneur, working to reduce stress and build more happiness by increasing inner peace.
Believing we are all part of each other - organically part of the entire world - if we can 'lift' the spirits of even one person, we actually make our whole world just a little bit happier and more peaceful.
We offer Mindfulness-Silk-Painting Workshops for Corporate Wellbeing-Events. Below is from a school Wellbeing Day where staff were given a range of activities to choose from.
We require at least two, ideally three hours - and up to 15 people.
The charge for Corporate Clients is £500.00
The charge for Charities and Community Groups with 15 people is £300.00
If there are fewer participants we can reduce the price slightly.
Contact us if you have questions.
A Teachers Wellbeing Day
Mindfulness-Silk-Painting Workshop
One to One Coaching
As a Mindfulness-Based Happiness Coach, DurgaMata offers one to one coaching.
In her Coaching and Workshops she teaches a Mindful approach, following her own unique Programme - 'The Seven Steps to Happiness.'
This is a holistic and comprehensive approach which brings the physical, mental, emotional and spiritual elements of our lives into balance.
Our Coaching price is £450.00 a month, or if you pay for the full three months, there is a discount and you pay only £999.00.
We can offer Group Coaching for up to three people, and - understanding that money problems can add to stress, we offer a discount for those who may be on a low income.
We offer one-to-one Coaching to reduce stress by balance the energy of our body, mind, emotion and spirit. Our approach is client led, following our own programme and elements of Gabor Maté's approach to trauma - Compassionate Inquiry -
In the Seven Steps to Happiness. Listening is key.
The Seven Steps are
1) Self-Love and acceptance. Much stress comes when we are not happy with our own self. We reflect on our past years, focussing on the positives and happy times.
2) Body and Mind. A healthy body requires attention to physical activity, good diet, adequate rest and regular sleep. A peaceful mind is aided by increasing self-awareness and practising mindfulness.
3) Environment - physical environment at home, in our neighbourhood and the wider world. This step includes an exploration of relationships and how these may be adding to or reducing stress.
We understand the importance of positive social contact and explore ways to strengthen this.
4) Emotion and difficulty. We reflect on our past years and experiences, acknowledging the difficult times and where possible addressing these using a range of proven and trusted techniques which offer emotional security, including Compassionate Inquiry.
5) Creativity and Healing. We learn about and practise some of the strategies which are proven to reduce stress - especially creative activities and the importance of having fun together. There is some hands-on Silk-Painting, which works, even through zoom.
6) Light: Inspiration, Guidance and Gratitude - who has been a light for you? Who looks to you for light and encouragement? We acknowledge those who have helped us over the years and where possible send Gratitude Letters.
7) Sound into Silence We share favourite poems and quotations, moving on from poem to mantra and finally the silence where compassionate, self-love can grow with expanding self-awareness and the silence of meditation can begin.
We explore these steps over a minimum of a three-month period, with weekly zoom-calls of 60-90 minutes. We move at the speed of each client and offer generous time for listening and reflection. Each week clients choose something they want to focus on and we reinforce this with daily accountability, by sharing that day's page from the Success-Gratitude-Joy Diary. There is no penaly if a client has not been able to share - but that is something we can talk about in the next zoom call and many people find it helpful to know that they are not alone in the difficult process of change and self-transcendence. It is difficult to make meaningful change in our lives, and many people appreciate having 'grandma' there to 'walk with them' each step of the way.
Stress-Reduction is a serious matter. It can even save your life. To make any genuine change in our lifestyle takes time. If someone wants to run a marathon or lose weight, they will need to find a trainer and work towards their goal for months. Reducing stress or depression and building resilience is similar, so I offer programmes of one month minimum and recommend a six-month period, to really explore the particular causes of stress or depression for each case and embed new and life-changing habits. We begin with basic Mindfulness Practises because these encourage self-awareness which is essential for progress and positive change.
Having taught in schools and colleges for some 30 years, including in Learning Support, DurgaMata has seen how our education system results in stress for both staff and students alike.
At University she met and married an International (Indian) Student which gave her insight into the particular challenges and pressures that International Students face. She began one to one coaching, organically, meeting students who were struggling with depression and toxic stress and found that for most if not all, it was not only the pressure of studies that was the cause, but deeper issues, isolation from the world they knew, parental expectation, language support and personal issues which have varied from childhood abuse to sexual orientation.
This has led her to this holistic and personalised approach, which includes an understanding of trauma, using strategies taught by experts such as Compassionate Enquiry, developed by Gabor Maté and effectively managing our thoughts using Daniel Amen's insights which come from years of studying what makes for a healthy brain.
S, a South Asian student writes -
'I have very amazing experience with your Coaching because I had lots of childhood traumas and also adult traumas. This has caused many physical symptoms and depression, but doctors treatment didn't help.
With your Coaching and Mindfulness every week, with the daily practises and accountability is release my traumas and still I see improvement in my emotions and feeling. My days improve a lot and I really appreciate your support and help kind regards, God bless you always with good health and joy :) Ameen. (Ameen means, truly or verily. It is a form of Amen.)
DurgaMata has created her own unique 'Seven Steps to Happiness' programme which is offered as a five-day physical retreat or online, spread over 9-weeks.
This works by sharing a weekly 90 minute interactive zoom-call, with simple micro-practises (short activities) to complete every day. There is accountability, and individual support, to change negative mindsets and build new, positive and empowering habits. We work with a limited number of clients in each cohort, to ensure everyone receives the personal attention, feedback and guidance which is what makes all the difference.
Contact DurgaMata for a 30 minute Discovery Call.
The Success-Gratitue-Joy-Diary
Our coaching is based on increasing inner peace and happiness using weekly zoom calls and keeping a daily Success Gratitude-Joy Diary.
We explore and monitor our own daily discipline/routine, choosing 3-5 items which we want to make foundational and track every day, followed by 3-5 tasks or aims which we hope to get done that day.
Then in the evening we reflect back on the day to ask ourselves, 'What Went Well today?'
We begin by listing any progress made on any of the items we had set out to do, as successes - and colouring in the flower drawn beside that item. Colours have power and highlight our achievement.
There is no penalty if we have not done something we had hoped to do, and if it still needs to be done, we mark it with an arrow and include it in the next days aims.
After reflecting on the Successes we list 3-5 Gratitudes - which can be anything from Gratitude for there being a universe - something rather than nothing - to gratitude for having a pencil. I think of the Palestinian journalist who said 'Every morning I wake with Massive Gratitude because i am still alive and I still have all my limbs.
Finally we list 3-5 Joys - situations when we smiled or laughed or made other people laugh or smile.
Forest Bathing Outings
DurgaMata has been organising Forest Bathing outings for more than 10 years. She lives in South-West London and takes individuals or parties for a Forest Bathing experience in Isabella Plantation which is located in the beautiful Richmond Park.
Meeting at Pembrook Lodge, there is an opportunity for teaching some background instruction in Mindfulness, before spending quality time among the trees.
Isabella Plantation in spring - Azaelia Season runs from mid-April until the end of May.
This experience often includes a picnic meal and we may conclude in the evening at The Red Lion pub in Barnes which also offers space for feedback, reflection and consolidation.
We can accommodate up to three people if they have no transport, or up to 15 if they come by car.
We require at least two, ideally three hours - and up to 15 people.
The charge for Corporate Clients is £500.00
The charge for Charities and Community Groups with 15 people is £300.00
If there are fewer participants we can reduce the price.
Contact us if you have questions.
Interactive Talks and Bespoke Workshops
DurgaMata offers Talks and Workshops on all aspects of Health and Wellbeing, but especially stress-reduction and resilience-building. With many practical and interactive elements, the workshops do not simply talk about health but teach participants how they can improve the quality of their life and increase their happiness using a holistic and mindful approach.
DurgaMata gives Talks and Workshops for Schools, Colleges, Universities, Community Groups and at Festivals to reduce stress, build resilience, improve wellbeing and increase happiness.
The photograph above is an interactive Talk at Richmond Festival of Wellbeing.
WHY WORK WITH US?
testimonials
Check what our clients say about us
The mindfulness session was very helpful I learned breathing techniques which enabled me to feel stress free and helped me with my depression.
Also I felt connected with nature while exploring and observing the green area to draw plants and trees in our Forest Bathing taster.
Sarah
RECEPTIONIST
Everything was amazing! Thank you so much!
The notes that I made:
1) I like the place of a workshop, because of calm atmosphere, a beautiful inside garden, big windows, sunshine and wind.
2) I like an idea of all exercises. And moreover, for me it was interesting to watch the painting process.
3) The items that we were using are really cute and it was a lot of varieties of paints what I really like!
4) Life music helped me to sink into my thoughts. It was comfortable to sit on cushions.
5) A tea with cinnamon and ginger was really tasty and vegetarian dinner was amazing!Polina
refugee
After Durgamata had delivered a workshop at my workplace, I decided that I wanted to share the experience with my family who I took to her half day workshop. The whole experience was amazing. I attended with my two kids (11 and 4) and they absolutely loved the silk-painting, the forest-bathing and all other activities. We all had a lot of fun and learned a lot.
The environment was peaceful, and reduced stress levels, personally from a 5 to a 2.
The silk-painting was enjoyable and we all made unique scarves which we still treasure to this day.
I'd recommend the workshop to anyone who serious about reducing stress within their team or with their loved ones.
CJ
data analyst
The Workshop was wonderful. I can't find the words. Silk-Painting was amazing. Everything was very nice. Great Music and Super Great Dinner. And Good Company with bonding talk. Thank you Soooo much!!!!
Olga
translator
Dearest Durga Mata! Thank you so so much for the absolutely most amazing wonderful workshop you did dedicated to Ukraine!
It was such a Joyful Celebration and such a beautiful event for all of us! Your generosity and kindness are so wonderful and heart warming! All of the girls were so touched, they did not expect anything like that, they were so so impressed!
Hope you were ok the next day! ANgel was also so amazing and we had such beautiful music from him! Thank you so so much again! I look forward to the photos! Lots and lots of Love xxx ANgel our great cellist.
Marina
store manager
Mindfulness and Peace
I found DurgaMata’s workshop incredibly beneficial and an absolutely beautiful experience. We were gently, eloquently, and professionally guided on how to employ stress-reducing mindfulness strategies and we engaged in several of them.
Forest Bathing
I found the forest bathing to be a lovely experience of connecting with nature and a relaxing, meditative experience.
Silk-Painting
The Silk-Painting part of the workshop was an absolute joy. We were guided through an understanding of colour and the process of painting to create a beautiful, soft, delicate silk-scarf.
Stress-Reduction
Whenever we hold and look at the lovely scarf it acts as a tangible anchor to take us back to the peacefulness of the day and remember the stress-reducing mindfulness strategies which we have learned.
Overall, a wonderful, creative experience.
Satu Liina Vai
HOLISTIC WELLBEING GUIDE
Contact DurgaMata now to discuss your own needs.
Topics she teaches or facilitates include - Strategies to Build Resilience
Mindfulness,
Breath-work
Gratitude
Forest Bathing
Silk-Painting
Observational Drawing
Music and Dance
Singing and Laughter
Sharing Healthy Food Together
Journaling
Visualisations - Light - Oneness - Joy - Gratitude
Stillness and Silence
Unconditional Love
Reduce Stress to Increase Inner Peace and Happiness
by balancing the needs of mind, body, emotion and spirit in a Holistic way.
Responding to Crisis -
The Gaza Freedom-Cards
When there is any kind of crisis, when we see something wrong, when we see the face of suffering, we have three choices.
- We can ignore it and look away (or if you come from a Christian tradition and reflect on the parable of The Good Samaritan - choose to ignore the problem and walk past on the other side of the road. *)
- We can identify with the suffering with empathy. We are upset, sharing the pain but not taking any action. We may feel utterly helpless and angry or miserable and depressed. We recognise the suffering and identify with it, so it disturbs our inner peace and takes away our happiness - or
- We can reflect on the situation, perhaps with reference to our own past experience or in discussion with others - and then take some kind of positive action which 'makes a difference' and reduces the suffering - bringing about positive change. We may not have the capacity to stop the suffering but we can and do reduce it. Even a very small reduction brings with it a sense of oneness and strengthens the connection between us. And that brings both of us more inner peace and happiness.
To ignore suffering is not a neutral act. It diminishes our own humanity. It cripples our heart-qualities of empathy, love and compassion and it makes the world more cruel. But to identify with suffering on the strength of our empathetic nature, without taking any positive action, simply drains us of our own inner strength, inner peace and happiness.
We need to pray and meditate, to inwardly ask, What can I do? What is the best action I can take in the face of this suffering - or if you have a personal sense of God's Reality you can ask something like this: 'How can I best serve You in this situation, in the hearts of those who are suffering here?'
Once you have found your 'corner' and are making a difference in that small way, you don't need to engage with all the other issues and causes of suffering which abound. Your 'role' may seem insignificant.
For some tender souls, action may simply be to protect yourself from more exposure, to conserve your own energy and inner peace. It may be to care for your own family with more seriousness and attention. It may be to feed some hungry birds. Or it may be to do something directly which helps a victim of injustice to suffer less.
DurgaMata recalls that -
When the war first broke out in the Middle East - years ago - my spiritual Teacher Sri Chinmoy contacted all his affiliated meditation centres by fax (those were the days.) He said that we may not be able to stop the war, but could we please make an effort not to wage war with each other. This led to us all reflecting on where there might be conflict within our meditation group - or within our family or in our school or workplace, and led to many small significant changes, small acts of kindness, patience, love and forgiveness, which made a significant difference to the inner peace and happiness in our lives.
DurgaMata remembers -
When the attack happened on 7th October, I was shocked to the core. I knew very little about the Middle East or the history of Israel - but I started to read and listen and learn. I quickly came to know that the 7th October did not happen in a vacuum. It had deep roots.
I learned that the idea of Zionism, of creating a 'homeland for the Jews' began in the late 19th Century, in response to the terrible plague of pogroms and attacks that Jews had suffered in Europe for centuries. This fed into the racist and colonial mentality which existed in Europe after WW2. The countries of Western Europe did not want to take in all the Jews who had survived the Nazi Holocaust, so they found a way to direct them into Palestine and help them to create the 'Land of Israel' as a Jewish safe place, a homeland where they could thrive without fear. It was said to be A land without a people for a people without a land. But it was not an empty space. It was a land already full of people. The existing Palestinian population was viewed as an inconvenience which had to be removed. After the Balfour Declaration and the UN mandate which brought the state of Israel into being, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were expelled. This is focused around the 1948 Nakba or Catastrophe.
There were hundreds of massacres as the Israelis drove the Palestinian indigenous people out of their towns and villages and took over the land. Palestinian Refugees fled to refugee camps in Egypt, Jordon, Syria and Lebanon. Thousands fled to Gaza, where they have been penned in by Israel and treated so badly that for decades Gaza has been recognised as an outdoor concentration-camp, their rights denied and every movement controlled by Israel.
In 1993 the Oslo Accords were signed, the first agreement between Israel and Palestine. It gave everyone a sense of hope, but Israel did not want them to come into effect. Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who had signed the Accords was assassinated and increasingly Israel clamped down even more strongly on Gaza. Then they attempted to keep the Palestinians subjugated in fear, using intense military actions called Mowing the Lawn, killing thousands each time and responding to any peaceful attempts by Palestinians to end the blockade with more death and destruction.
The more I learned, the more I was left thinking that what happened on 7th of October - which was a terrible crime and sent shock-waves across the world - was not only absolutely predictable - but I was surprised it had taken so long. You can not treat any peoples with cruelty and injustice without some of them rising up against that oppression. It is one of the best and deepest urges in human nature to fight for our freedom and for our futures. There can only be peace and security when it is offered to everyone.
Knowing that Britain was deeply implicated in the 7th October attack, not only for the Balfour Declaration and preventing Israel from responding to countless UN resolutions over the years which sought to protect the Palestinians, but also in that Britain continued to work alongside the USA in providing assistance to the Israelis and supporting their attacks on Gaza which still continue, I couldn't look away. I felt that if I did not at least 'check in' with Gaza each day, to see what was happening and refuse to look away, if I didn't remember them and hold them in my heart, then I was as complicit as anyone. So I did check in and I did see - and I continue to see - the live-streamed atrocities, which have now been recognised by most people, as a bloody genocide. Israel is still openly practising apartheid within its borders and expanding not only into Gaza, West Bank and East Jerusalem, but into much of Syria, Lebanon and beyond.
I think my grief and distress at seeing the carnage in Gaza may have acted as an unspoken prayer. I know enough about stress to appreciate that when we feel helpless, it raises our stress-levels exponentially. I believe that this unspoken prayer was answered as one by one, some individuals in Gaza found my contact details and reached out to me.
At first I felt honoured and delighted to be able to correspond to these individuals in Gaza and get to know their families. I felt that God was giving me a way to do something to reduce the suffering at least by letting them know that they were not forgotten, and that people around the world were on their side - but they needed more than that, especially as Israel closed the borders and began to cause a real famine. I had no spare funds to send. All my funds were tied up in my workshops.
Necessity is the mother of invention, they say. And so it proved to be. In mid 2024 I thought, I am an artist. I used to make my own Christmas Cards. So let me make some to raise funds for my Gaza friends.
It is now autumn of 2026. I have several families who correspond with me regularly. At the moment I am focussing my fund-raising efforts on Abu Yussef's family. Their tent was bombed in August and I have been attempting to raise the funds he needs - first for a tent - then for mattresses and blankets - and children's clothes. When I have achieved that I will work on raising funds for the other families. It gives me great satisfaction and happiness when I am able to help one of 'my' Gaza families. I know it's only a drop in the ocean, but a drop is still a drop. I have not gone in search of some action I can take. I have responded to those who have reached out to me and who have established a human connection, through our conversations on WhatsApp over the years. They are family and I will do everything in my power to help them survive this horror. It will come to an end some day, and the emerging Palestinian state - whether that is as a result of a one or two state solution - is going to need every surviving Palestinian to lead that new nation into the future.
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