The Daily Downward Dog

Create

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Tue, 20 Aug 2024 14:39:57 +0000

It was a balmy summer night, and I had just finished teaching a Full Moon yoga class near the shores of Lake Erie. It was dark and I was enjoying the afterglow from the class, the students slowly rising from their yoga mats with peaceful looks on their faces, and all of us in awe of the radiance of the full moon and the healing light it was providing.

A large group had gathered that night and I was delighted to see students I had not seen in a while. I noticed a woman who had started coming to my summer beach yoga classes a few years ago who told me one day after class that she had been trying to get pregnant and was coming to yoga for not only the physical aspect, but also to help with grounding and her peace of mind. I taught her breath exercises that summer and was so happy to find out that later in the year she had become pregnant. I remember coming home that day and telling my husband what happened, and he teasingly said, “Oh great, now you think you can help women get pregnant.” I laughed and knew it was not me, but the power of yoga to soothe the nervous system, help release stress, and bring about a sense of calm, which helped her conceive.

She walked over to greet me, and I had so many questions for her. I wanted to know how she was, and how old her kid was, and how she liked being a mother. She proceeded to tell me that she loved being a mother and had two children now! From someone who had struggled to conceive, I knew this was a miracle, and I was thrilled for her.

“Maria, I have something for you,” she said as she took a silver beaded necklace that had a silver key on it and handed it to me. “It has the word CREATE engraved on it. One of my friends gave it to me when I thought I could not have children and encouraged me to wear it and to let it remind me that I had the power to CREATE a life that I loved, with or without children. I wore it all the time and I created what I wanted, a life with two beautiful children, and a family of four with my husband. Way more than even I thought was possible, so this key worked for me, and now it is time for me to pass it along to someone else.”

I looked down at the necklace she had placed in my hand. “I heard that your husband has recently passed away, so now you will need to create a life without him, and I wanted you to have this to help you create a new life that you love.”

I cannot tell you how touched I was by this enormous gesture, but I can tell you that I started to cry, and I leaned over and gave her a huge hug. It was a full moon blessing and gift all wrapped in one. I have had the key for almost three years now. There have been times I forgot about it, but I put it on a little altar on my desk next to my crystals, so I always see it, and it came with me when I traveled around the world last year.

So, what have I created in these years? I can tell you that…

I have created a life where I remember the good times my husband Vince and I experienced together and let go of the trauma of his illness and death.

After the burnout of being a caregiver and post-menopausal grieving widow, I have created a healthy lifestyle and strong sadhana (daily yoga practice) and feel better than ever.

I have created the ability to live alone and not be lonely or sad (well, at least 95% of the time, I do have moments).

I have created the ability to eat alone at a restaurant or go to an event alone and enjoy myself.

I have created quiet in my mind and peace in my heart as a result of letting go of attachments and struggles.

I have taken my freedom and created a life full of travel and adventures, and the ability to do this travel alone and feel safe and happy.

I have created and provided loving support for my family and friends who have recently lost a loved one or are experiencing health issues.

I am birthing two new babies – post menopause! What the what?!

Well, my babies are two new creative projects about which I am excited.

First, I have decided to dust off vintage (that sounds better than old) inspirational blog posts from The Daily Downward Dog and begin to share them with you again perhaps with fresh takes. In addition to those, I will be authoring new stories about my journey and will share them here on the Daily Downward Dog and in a new space I am in the process of creating on Substack. (If you use Substack and can offer guidance to me, I will welcome the help). My goal is to create a place where I can spread JOY, light, and positivity to others. I want to be a Courier (my family name is Currier) of joyful positivity, inspiration, and love in service to women, for the benefit of all beings.

Second, I am birthing a movement that I am hopeful will help lift and support women that I am calling “Just 3,” so stay tuned and I will share more about that in an upcoming post.

A year after my husband passed away and before I received the gift of the Create key, I had an Akashic record reading and learned that I was standing on the shore of a beach and that in front of me was an endless sea of possibility. That I should think about what a life beyond my wildest dreams would look like and to create that. Are you sensing a theme here?

Seriously, the best coffee ever!

Fast forward to 2023 when I decided to celebrate my sixtieth birthday by traveling around the world. Sometime during the ninth month of travel, I found myself on the idyllic Greek island of Ikaria. On a beautiful sunny morning, I was sitting at an outside café drinking a freddo cappuccino while admiring the sun sparkling off the colorful Aegean Sea and the surrounding Greek islands out in the distance, enjoying being immersed in a different culture, hearing people having conversations in foreign languages around me, and thinking about which beach on the island I would visit that day, and suddenly it hit me, the realization that I was living a life beyond my wildest dreams. An overwhelming sense of joy and a smile arose and I thought, I did it!

Shooting out Intentions into the Universe in Archer’s Pose at the Temple of Artemis, Nas, Ikaria

Now that I have created a new life I love, it is time for me to pass along my key to another worthy recipient. In all honesty, I should have passed it along to someone sooner than now, but I am ready and am giving deep thought about who to pass it on to.

So, you may be thinking, I need my very own create key. I will tell you that you do not need an actual key, all you need is the desire to change your story, to set positive intentions, put in the work of manifesting them, and believe you can be happy and live a life you love.

I am sharing this post on the fourteenth anniversary of the launch of The Daily Downward Dog, my business and personal blog. It has been five years and six months since I published my last blog post on January 30, 2019. I was coming off one of the most abundant years of my yoga career, leading three international and one local yoga retreat, a yoga teacher training program, regular studio yoga classes and the summer beach yoga program, monthly workshops, and two more international yoga retreats scheduled for early 2019. It was just two weeks after that last post that a doctor delivered my husband’s terminal ALS diagnosis, and my career went on hold. I feel blessed to have been his caregiver that year before he passed. The next year was the global pandemic, and I was back in isolation again, but this time with a purpose to restructure and rebuild my life. I am excited to have the time now to pick up where I left off and to share my experiences, in hopes that it will inspire you to create a life beyond your wildest dreams too.

Thank you for reading, and please take a moment to leave a comment to say hello or to share your thoughts about what you would like to create.

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Letting Go of Fear

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 16:33:59 +0000

It is time to stop giving so much energy to fear.

It is time to start manifesting dreams.

I’ve been wanting to launch online videos of my yoga classes for a few years now. I tell myself that my busy schedule and time constraints are the reasons why I have not moved forward, but there is more to it than that. If I’m really honest with myself it is the fear of putting myself out there that has been holding me back.

Sometimes the biggest obstacle to happiness and achieving goals are our own fears. That same self-defeating thought that keeps repeating over and over in the mind. That is why getting on the yoga mat is so helpful for me so I can quiet my mind and notice where I keep repeating self-doubt and fear. The moments of quiet help me bring clarity, creativity, and the impetus to move forward with what I want to achieve.

I’ve decided to kick fear in the ass today and post a video that I shot close to a year ago while I was leading a yoga retreat at Sansara Surf and Yoga Resort in Panama. It is serendipitous that this class just so happens to be about letting go of fear! It is a short but powerful session that includes mantras, mudras, and yoga poses that will help you kick fear in the ass right along with me.

Big hug and THANKS to Jacob Nyyssonen for helping me to shoot and edit this video.

So, find a comfortable place at home, roll out your yoga mat, and practice with me. The session is 22 minutes and you can use it to get you warmed up and motivated and perhaps add a bit more of your own home practice and a savasana to finish it out.

Good news, I’m not letting fear get in my way this year, and I’ve already recorded more videos and I am in the process of getting them edited and set up on my website, so stay tuned for more details about taking online classes with me.

If you do this class or want to do online classes with me, please leave a comment below with your feedback. I’d love to hear from you and THANKS in advance for practicing with me!

I loved sharing yoga at Sansara and I’m super excited to be going back there again this April to lead another yoga retreat! If you want to learn to surf or travel internationally and have had some fear of doing so – now is the time to LET GO of FEAR – and join me! There are still a few rooms left, and the Quad Rooms are on sale until February 1, so click here to get more information! If you need a roommate, I can set you up with one!

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Embracing Change

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Wed, 23 Jan 2019 21:18:58 +0000

I am about to take on a huge change in my life. One that has me really anxious, worried, and over thinking what will happen. It is hard to change, especially when we get attached to the way things are.

So what is this big change you ask?

You may not think it is a big deal, but I’m going to switch from a PC to a Macintosh computer!

Don’t laugh, it really is going to involve a lot of work and frustration for me. Can you relate?

The struggle with accepting change is tied to attachment. Attachment to the ease and comfort of how things are. Letting go of attachment is a key teaching of yoga and is called aparigraha. It is good to remember that when we cling to something that no longer works, we will never move forward and that what wants to come to us is so great if we just let go.

Last week as I was gearing up to make the change I posted a plea for help and recommendations from my friends on Facebook. The response was really encouraging with many friends offering to help, and one of my students offered me the best advice I’ve received in a long time.

Here was her response: Using a Mac is like yoga- you just have to let go of monkey mind and go on intuition and just play.

It made me laugh because that is the exact same advice I give to students who come to my yoga class. The definition of yoga is the cessation of the mind stuff or chitta in Sanskrit. All of that chitta (noise) in the mind is what causes struggle.

When you step onto your mat the most important thing to remember is to breathe and the focus on the breath will help to tame the monkey mind.

It is important to be in alignment during a yoga class but I feel that following your intuition is just as important. Listen to your body, trust your gut, modify when you need to. Our intuition is always guiding us, the problem is that the mind is so noisy most of the time we can’t hear or tap into our intuition.

And PLAY – yes PLAY on your yoga mat. Yoga should be fun! So don’t be afraid to giggle, dance, and most importantly SMILE when you practice. Life is a lot more fun when we can remember to play.

My students are always my best teachers and I’m so grateful to them for teaching me new things.

My mission is to accept this new change, to quiet all the fear and anxiety in my mind, follow my intuition, and have fun playing with my new computer!

I hope you can bring this same energy to all that you do as well!

p.s. there is still time to sign up for my upcoming yoga retreats! Sedona in February and Paradise in Panama this April

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Kindness, Empathy, Love

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Wed, 02 Jan 2019 00:17:04 +0000

Happy New Year!

If you follow me on Instragram (@dailydownwarddog) you may have caught a few of the pictures I selected and posted to mark each day of December. I have had an incredible year and felt like I really needed to stop and look back at everything I did, and everywhere I traveled so that it didn’t become a blur. I wanted to really appreciate the abundance in my life and take stock before setting any new intentions for the New Year. If you have not done this, I highly recommend taking a scroll back through your photos on your iphone and read through your journal. Celebrate all that you have accomplished. I know that when I rush off to the next thing, before taking note of where I’ve been, it is almost as if I was stealing from the past.

I saved my favorite picture from 2018 to post today on New Year’s Day 2019. It was taken during my Paradise in Panama retreat in April. I went for a beach walk along the gorgeous shores of Cambutal right in front of the Sansara Surf and Yoga Resort with a few women on the retreat with me. We happened upon one of our fellow yogis Veronica, who had been writing mantras and drawing mandalas in the sand. They were gorgeous, and we had to stop to admire the beauty and the light that was radiating from her.

Happy with what I am, with what I have, and where I am. A calm mind.

Wow – how powerful to etch the words of a mantra into the sand for the universe to see and for your heart and mind to absorb.

I asked Veronica if she would please draw the words Daily Downward Dog into the sand. She picked up her etching tool and got to work and when I came back to see her artwork you can imagine my surprise and delight. She had added a few words that she felt described my teaching and spirit.

Kindness. Empathy. Love.

Thank you, Veronica, for this beautiful gift and moment. I have these words etched into my mind now, so that every time I step onto my mat to practice or to teach a yoga class, or go out in the world to serve, it is a reminder to embody Kindness, Empathy, and Love for all beings.

I stopped making New Year’s Resolutions a long time ago, and this year my mantra is really simple.

I AM LOVE.

I will strive to do everything from my heart and from a place of love. That I will not be driven by struggle or fear, but instead by love. The love in my mantra has kindness and empathy woven into it.

Want to join me? You can use this mantra too. Just keep repeating it when you practice, when you meditate, when you get stressed out. Stop, pause, and breathe it in. I am on the inhale, love on the exhale. The meaning and vibration of the words will soak in deeper into your heart and mind and bring you peace and joy.

Wishing you all a New Year that is full of abundance and blessings. Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti. Namaste.

I’m going back to Panama in April for another Paradise in Panama Yoga Retreat April 14-20 at Sansara – click here for more information!

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Workout While You Work!

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 19:56:02 +0000

As much as our society loves to multi-task, I really have never been a big fan. It’s hard for me to do two things at once, and as a yogi, I do try to practice giving my full attention to one central point of focus. That being said, when the awesome folks at Flexispot asked me to try out their Deskcise Pro – a desk and stationary bike combined into one, I couldn’t resist the thought of multi-tasking while I sit at my desk and work.

Now while I’m working on my computer, catching up on reading, or talking on the phone, I can also get a little cardio work out for my heart, increase strength and flexibility in my legs, improve my posture and coordination, strengthen my bones, burn some calories, and an added bonus I hadn’t counted on – riding the bike helps me let go of stress. Now that is multitasking I not only can handle but love!

Yes, my yoga practice brings many of the same benefits, but the added cardio workout on my Deskcise Pro is a nice compliment to the yoga and meditation I do. It is the yang to my yin. When I’m riding the bike it is really quiet, so I’m able to focus on my work and forget about peddling and also to stop worrying that I’m not getting enough exercise.

I have to tell you two more super cool things about the Deskcise Pro, I use it also to hold my laptop up higher so I can stand and work which is really good to do throughout the day, and I’ve also figured out I can sit cross-legged on it and meditate. So while I’m working I go from sitting, cycling, standing, and sometimes meditating. My back is very happy!

For those of you that like a challenging ride there is a resistance control knob to control the intensity and an LCD display that lets you know how long you’ve been cycling, the distance, and calories burned.

When my bike arrived, my husband assembled it for me in less than an hour and said it was super easy to assemble. The workspace table moves up and down and forward and back, and the seat is also adjustable. If you don’t have a lot of space, it is easy to store the bike because the legs fold in, and the desktop can be removed for easy storage.

Meditating at my desk!

Living in Ohio and not being able to get outside on my bike is a drag in the winter months, but I’m looking forward to cycling lots of miles this winter while I’m working.

If you would like to purchase a Deskcise Pro – click here for an offer code to save $15 Off

Happy New Year and Happy Cycling!

p.s. My awesome Galaxy Yoga Leggings are high waisted, super comfortable and from Onzie! Go check out their fun designs!

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Better, Happier, Healthier Boobs

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 05:55:49 +0000

DO YOU WANT BETTER HEALTHIER HAPPIER BOOBS?

A yoga retreat is a marvelous way to nurture yourself. With the rampant increase in breast cancer, I can think of nothing more powerful to learn about than how to nurture your breast health with Dr. Sharon Stills and me during our Women of Wisdom Retreat this February in the sacred RED rocks of Sedona.

We will explore the connection of Breast Health and your chakras, best practices for how to prevent breast cancer, at home tips you can start doing right away to enhance your breast health and have an authentic conversation about our breasts and what they do and don’t represent to us on a deeper level. Learn the life themes and energetic patterns that result in breast cancer. Learn about the connection between your teeth, your thyroid, your stomach, and your breasts.

In the powerful energy of the RED Rocks of Sedona this February, you will have the opportunity to spend 3 or 5 nights with me and my amazing co-leader, Dr. Sharon Stills, and I promise it will be magical, memorable and the very best medicine for your soul.

There will be two yoga and meditation sessions each day with me and informative workshops on women’s health with Sharon. This is a unique and invaluable opportunity to spend a lot of time with Dr. Sharon to learn and have your specific questions answered while learning new ways to take care of yourself.

There will be time to get outdoors and hike and explore the gorgeous grounds of the Mago Retreat Center. We’ll even get out in the Red Rocks for some of our yoga and meditation sessions. The Mago Retreat center is simply magical, with 12 vortexes on the grounds, the beauty, and energy of Sedona is amplified, and you will be able to effortlessly access the momentum of change, growth, and bliss. There are so many ways to nurture yourself….

Your Guides: Maria Santoferraro & Dr. Sharon Stills

Spaces are limited so please don’t hesitate and grab yours now. As a matter of fact -grab someone you love- a friend, a relative, a co-worker and bring them along. Together we will join in community and heal, play, laugh and be nurtured. This one is just for the ladies so if you are a man then share this with your wife, sister, daughter, etc. and encourage them to do this for themselves.

Click here to learn more and book your spot now!

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Yoga Wisdom: Warrior Tales Inspiring You On and Off Your Mat

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Wed, 07 Nov 2018 14:44:21 +0000

Great title huh?! I wish I could claim it as mine, but it is the title of an awesome new book by my good friend Stephanie Spence also known as The Traveling Yogini. Stephanie and I met seven years ago through the burgeoning yoga blogging community and social media scene where we both actively supported each other. We initially started following each other on Twitter and realized we had a lot in common – we’re both yoga teachers, writers, have a passion for travel, and are rocking out our 50s like its no one’s business.

One day I posted that I was going to be traveling to Phoenix and needed recommendations on where to practice yoga. Stephanie hooked me up with excellent recommendations (thanks to her I took my very first wall yoga class!), and she asked me to meet her so she could interview me for a project she was working on called Tales of the Traveling Yogini. We met, talked, laughed, shared warrior stories, and have been friends ever since.

Stephanie went on a path of healing through her yoga practice and writing and also continued to interview hundreds of yogis. The result of her efforts came to fruition in this book.

When my copy of Yoga Wisdom: Warrior Tales Inspiring You on and Off the Mat, came in the mail I could not wait to dive in and I have to admit, I could not put it down. The book tells the story of how yoga helped Stephanie heal from a harrowing divorce that led to a separation from her daughters. Stephanie’s story is painful, but so well written that I had to keep reading. This is the tale of a yogini warrior, one who would not be defeated by her circumstance, but who rose above it and is now sharing her story so she can be of service to others. She is living her yoga both on and off the mat.

As Stephanie tells her story she artfully weaves in the yoga wisdom stories of hundreds of yogis around the world. I’m not going to lie, I am geeking out a bit that I am one of the yogis featured in the book (page 113-115!!), along with many of my yogi role models, friends, and fellow yoga bloggers – Kia Miller, Anna Guest-Jelly, Elana Brower, Erica Rodefer Winters, Heather Sheree Titus, Hemalayaa Behl, Jill Miller, Kathryn Budig, Rolf Gates, Seane Corn, Sharon Gannon, and Tanya Markul to name a few.

There are also helpful tips all throughout the book for new and seasoned yoga practitioners – like the reasons why you should get to know your yoga teacher and how to take what you learn on your yoga mat and apply it to your life off the mat.

Kind of Cool to see your mug shot and story in a printed book!!

I plan to keep this book on my bedside table for a long time, so I can go back and pull inspiration from each of the Warrior Tales and also be reminded of the power of this practice to heal and transform. Just looking at the book cover will inspire me to get my own book written!

Congratulations Stephanie for all your hard work and determination to get this book published, I’m so proud of you! I also want to thank you, for sharing your story and for your dedication to empower women. I am blown away by your bravery and your truth, and I am praying that you will continue to be at peace and find joy. I’m ready to host you in Cleveland when you do your book tour!!

Click the image below to pick up your very own copy!

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Celebrating 8 Years of Daily Downward Dog!

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Mon, 20 Aug 2018 06:22:31 +0000

Woo Hoo – eight years ago today the Daily Downward Dog blog was launched (that’s the original logo above)! It started out as quick little musings about my budding yoga practice and then blossomed into a place to share my yoga inspiration and details about the yoga classes, teacher training, and retreats that I am blessed to share.

Today’s post marks my 400th published blog post!

The second official Daily Downward Dog masthead.

My yoga journey has taken me so far over the years and now teaching and practicing yoga takes up so much of my time that I have not had as much time as I would like to take the inspiration I bring to my classes to this website. I want to change that and today seems like the perfect day, so I’m really excited to announce a few new projects. Watch the video below for an exciting announcement!

Daily Downward Dog Videos – many of you have asked me to post videos of my yoga classes online and I am finally ready to make this dream a reality. Hit the arrow button in the video below to watch the first video that I shot in Sedona earlier this year.

I’ve also got a new video class I recorded in Panama that will be posted soon as well. So stay tuned for that and also weekly yoga class video content that I’m shooting to have ready when I return from my yoga retreats in Tuscany and Santorini this Fall. You can bet I’ll be shooting videos on location in Italy and Greece while I’m there as well!

Best of The Daily Downward Dog Reposts – over the next few months I’ll be reposting some of my favorite vintage DDD posts and also a few new ones. There is a lot of inspirational content in the archives and I hope you will enjoy reading it again or discovering it for the first time.

With Love & Gratitude!

Thank you so much for continuing to support my yoga classes, retreats, and dreams.

My mission is to spread JOY and I hope you leave each session feeling lighter and more full of peace and joy.

Your feedback is important and I would love to hear from you, so please feel free to leave a comment below.

Namaste,
Maria Santoferraro, E-RYT 500

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The Sweet Joy of the Way

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 20:54:06 +0000

In a recent yoga class while teaching a challenging asana I cued the students to connect to their breath and let go of any struggle. I reminded them that life is not supposed to be a struggle, that we wake up each day and can decide to struggle or live in peace. The message that day resonated not only with the students but for me.

Oh, how I can cling so desperately to the attachment of struggle. Particularly, this summer when I let the weight of some large projects I am working on become a struggle, rather than a joy. I want the work to come to completion and I’m pushing so hard to get there and beating myself up for not being farther along. I struggle with not having enough time, and then I realized I wasn’t having fun. What! My work is supposed to be joy-filled, and all the struggle and stress was sucking all the FUN right out.

Funny thing is that in each situation I have a choice to either struggle or find peace and enjoy the ride. So why am I wasting so much of my precious energy in struggle mode?

What struggle is keeping you from living a life full of JOY?

I found this quote from Buddha that fit perfectly with what I was feeling:

Live in joy, in love,

even among those who hate.

Live in joy, in health,

even among the afflicted.

Live in joy, in peace,

even among the troubled.

Look within, be still.

Free from fear and attachment,

Know the sweet joy of the way. – Buddha

That same week I talked about struggle the universe put two labyrinths in my path and of course I can’t pass up a good labyrinth, so I took the time to slow down for a soulful meditative walk. I didn’t realize it at the time, but these two labyrinth walks were my opportunity to look within and be still. As I took the path inward my thoughts were all about letting go of struggle and replacing that with the energy of ease and joy. I need to remember how far I’ve come, that each day progress is made, and to enjoy the journey every step of the way.

Buddha nailed it when he said to be free from fear and attachment and know the sweet joy of the way – and oh, how sweet the way of life can be.

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Sunset Choices

Maria @dailydownwarddog — Tue, 17 Jul 2018 20:56:24 +0000

The picture above is from a Lake Erie sunset on Saturday, July 14. I’ve seen many sunsets over the lake and always marvel at how different each one is, but I’ve never seen one quite like this.

This sunset was a sweet reminder of something important that I believe Mother Nature was trying to convey.

The sky to the left is dark and gloomy, and the sky to the right is bursting with radiant orange, pink, and golden light. It reminded me of the choices I get to make every day. I can either wake up and be in a funk, or I can wake up believing it is going to be an amazing day. I get to choose my vibe – gloom or joy! We all get to make that choice every day.

You can take this teaching to everything you do and know you always have a choice – dark and gloomy or sparkly and bright. Negativity versus positivity.

What choice will you make today? Will you radiate positivity?

I’m going to print this picture out and hang it where I can see it often and let Mother Nature remind me to choose happiness and joy.

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