10,000 Vinyasas

Although I feel pretty qualified to teach yoga most of the time, I’m also aware that I lack the official certification (i.e., the 200 hour Yoga Alliance thingy), and without that, my opportunities to expand my teaching horizons are somewhat limited. As a result, I’ve decided that I need to bite the bullet and spring for the program; once that was decided, the problem was: which program? The most highly regarded one in the area still involved two weekends a month in Austin and this was kind of formidable in terms of logistics. Other meaningful courses would necessitate traveling long distances and staying for about 3 weeks, which would surely require me to lose a lot of potential business in my “other” job. Well, the local studio that I frequent seems to have come up with a solution: teacher training from Rosella Rossi, right here at home. It will take about five or six months, depending on the final scheduling, but it looks like this will fit my needs perfectly.

Other teaching notes: looks like my Thursday class is on the bubble, in terms of attendance, although we did have 9 people show up last night. I’d hate to lose this class, since it fits my location and schedule perfectly. Also, I’m going to be assisting another yoga teacher in conducting an adjustment workshop for yoga teachers at the gym that I teach at. Most of the yoga teachers don’t adjust students, out of fear, I think, and a workshop like this would be a good idea to get them more comfortable with touching people. I think that one reason that I’ve gotten so much good feedback from my students is that I’m not afraid to adjust them. I’m intending to do an entire post on that soon.

A couple of years ago, I read a book called Good Calories, Bad Calories. Dense and full of technical analysis of many many studies, it nonetheless was a revelation, at least in my thinking about food. The immediate reaction, upon finishing, was to wonder “how could this be true?” since it essentially pointed out that much of the conventional wisdom about what to eat (and what not to eat) was based upon flawed studies, misinterpretation, and politicized recommendations, most of which center around the “low fat” diet. What Taubes indicates in the book is if you don’t eat as much fat, you have to make up for it by increasing either protein or carbohydrates, and mathematically, this must be true. The role of simple carbs, like sugar and white flour, is examined in the cases of native people who adopt Western diets and thereby suffer cancer, diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, as well as obesity. Although it is impossible, at least to me at this time, to determine whether Taubes is correct (or at least partially correct), I began to adopt a more fat-based diet in response. I had already dropped about 10 pounds (and they were very significant pounds, too, since they came directly off my waist), and I was curious as to whether I could maintain this loss while increasing my fat content. Reading these words makes it seem that it was more of a conscious and linear process, but it actually just evolved over a period of time, while I started eating more nuts and quality meats while trying, gradually to reduce or eliminate more sugar, white flour and processed foods in my diet. As regular readers know, the latest manifestation is the addition of raw whole milk to my diet. At this point, I can report that my weight remains stable and at the level which I consider to be close to the ideal (I’m not ready to give up beer and margaritas, yet). By all rights, if the low fat theory of diet is correct, I should have gained quite a bit of weight over the last couple of years, but that didn’t happen. I am therefore ready to conclude that, for me at least, a low fat diet has no real place in my understanding of the best way to eat. Reducing the amounts of simple carbohydrates, however, does seem to work. Your mileage may vary.

“Yoga is real. Everything else is an illusion.”
—attributed to Tim Miller.

This one helps me, for some reason.

Since I started practicing Ashtanga, I’ve almost always practiced in a led class. Part of the reason was simply because I have not completely memorized the sequence (it’s long and has many poses), but partly I’ve just never taken an actual Mysore class (except once, at Mike Mattews’ studio in Austin). The other day, though, I arrived too early at the studio for Mysore, and so I just started out the sequence on my own. For whatever reason, I felt like I had a real breakthrough or something. For the first time that I can remember, I really felt comfortable and relaxed as I worked through the entire sequence, only having to refer to my “cheat sheet” a couple of times (although I later realized that I completely left out kukkutasana; oh well, that’s not my best pose anyway). I got such an interesting feeling of power during this practice, and it went quite a bit faster than a led class would have. This is something that I’ve not considered before…that you can get through 90% of the Primary Series in an hour. It certainly makes a daily home practice more doable.

Ok, so I’ve now had about a gallon of the raw whole milk I picked up from a local farmer last week. Tentatively, I can report that consumption of this seems to decrease my appetite (produces a feeling of “fullness”) later on in the day. I’m hoping it will promote more weight stabilization as well. It’s kind of a pain to have to journey out to get this milk every ten days or so, but I suppose it’s worth it, if it is, in fact, healthier. I guess the jury’s still out on this. Certainly it tastes better than the organic skim I had been drinking.

Here’s one from a soup cookbook that friend Barbara gave me the other day. It was kitchen-tested last week. Verdict: easy, simple, delicious. Give it a try.

2tsp butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 lb. zucchini, sliced
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup sour cream, plus extra to garnish

Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook about 3 minutes until it begins to soften.
Add the zucchini, stock and curry, along with a large pinch of salt, if using unsalted stock. Bring the soup to a boil, reduce heat, cover and let cook gently for about 25 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Allow the soup to cool slightly, then transfer to a blender or food processor and blend, just until smooth (there should be green flecks present).

Return soup to sauce pan, stir in sour cream, and heat gently.

Serve with sour cream garnish on top.

Yield: 4 servings.

I modified this with goat butter and plain yogurt instead of sour cream. Very nice.

Ok, so I am obliged to review these after Jen gave me a pair the other day. (This sounds like I’m reluctant, but really, I’ve been looking forward to giving them the once over). I’m wearing them right now as I compose this, which points out one of the major high points of these pants: they are comfortable as all-get-out. I consider them wonderful as lounge pants, and yet, with their black color, one can wear them out to the grocery store, errands, even sitting out drinking some beer somewhere al fresco. Of course, they are marketed as “active” yoga pants, so let’s next consider them in that context. For me, since I am the sweatiest guy in the room, I’m a little hesitant to wear these in an intense power vinyasa or Ashtanga class–too much material in these. What happens when I’m completely soaked? For that, I’d want my Lululemon shorts, and so far, that’s what’s happened. For teaching my yoga classes, however, these pants are exactly right. They enable me to demonstrate all the poses without restriction. A few quibbles: the waist (small) is cut a little too loosely, resulting in me having to tighten the drawstring more than should be necessary. Also, the waist cut is, well, let’s just say that you don’t want to tuck a shirt in, it looks too funny or geeky. And what’s that double belt loop in the back for? Inquiring minds want to know.

Bottom line: not for high intensity sweating, but great for everything else.

10. The ingredients are inferior. Think you’re getting organic spinach in your salad? I doubt it. This goes double for salmon, which is invariably farmed and contains harmful PCBs.

9. Alcoholic beverages are outrageously priced. Generally, a glass of wine sells for about as much as you can buy the entire bottle in the store. Some establishments resist the temptation to vastly overcharge, but they are rare. Get ready to pay out the nose if you want to drink.

8. Actually, there’s really no telling what could be in that dish you just ordered. The people in the back (see rule #7) might pour a bunch of sugar or corn syrup in there, just to make it taste “better.” Too much salt is also entirely too common.

7. Generally, felons are employed back in the kitchen. I’m not making this up; it’s one of the few areas where people with a criminal record can still find work. Would you invite someone like this into your kitchen to serve you food? I think not.

6. Noise. Apparently, many many restaurant owners think an ear-splitting volume equates to a convivial atmosphere, so little or no noise-reducing materials are used. This does not make for an setting of tranquility and serenity.

5. The temptation to eat crap is too much, when it’s all around you. I’m talking here about white processed flour and sugar. You might be a saint at home, but when it’s staring you up at you from the bread basket, it becomes much harder to stick to your chosen dietary path of avoiding raising your glycemic levels.

4. Poor service and an expected tip for same. We’ve all experienced this one, I’m sure.

3. The sanitary condition of the establishment is also a concern. Periodic inspections by your local health department are necessary, but not sufficient. Do you want to take the time to examine the certificate and do other “homework” to ensure that you’re not risking infection before you decide to patronize a restaurant?

2. Did you know many of the dishes you think are uniquely prepared in the restaurant are in fact delivered frozen on a truck? Why not just skip the dining out and just go straight to the freezer at the grocery store? Google Sysco if you think I’m kidding.

1. If you take even a small amount of time and effort, you can create dishes at home that are much better and cheaper than you will find at almost any restaurant. You’ll know you’re getting to that point when your reaction to most of the offered cuisine at an establishment is “I could make this at home, better.”

Long have I watched in amazement as people went from standing into backbend, never imagining in my wildest dreams that I’d ever be able to overcome the fear and actually do it myself. Well, the other day I was teaching and I actually did it on my own! Wow! It’s been quite some time since I had the sudden jump up in ability resulting in the attainment of the pose (of course, I know that there, in fact, was nothing “sudden” about it…it’s something I’ve been working on pretty continuously in acro for quite awhile), and it really feels great to be able to do it at least once. Now the challenge is to do it again, and become proficient. Once again, must give thanks for the expertise of my teachers; in this case, Vladimir.

Thanks also this week are due to Jen at Lululemon, who signed me up for their product research and development team (sounds more impressive than it is…but you do get a 15% discount for evaluating their clothes).

(update) The first one was followed by several today, and a feeling of confidence. Now, THAT is an accomplishment! Also, would like to mention that I was able to stand up from the same backbend at least a couple of times without help. Very nice. Once again, I am grateful to Vladimir for his ability to get me to this point.

Been kind of successful in the last few weeks in figuring out (trial and error is my favorite method here) how to effectively roast coffee for espresso. At first, I was too afraid of burning the beans, so I pulled them off too early, resulting in thin, quick, watery shots with little crema. After leaving the beans on into what’s called “second crack,” my espresso shots have improved dramatically. I’ve also gotten more used to dealing with the chaff that flies around when the top filter is off (like when I’m stirring the beans). This morning, I’m roasting three different varieties specifically to blend them together and see what happens. This one is 1/3 Brazil Yellow Bourbon, 1/3 Sumatra Mandehling, and 1/3 Bolivian Organic Free Trade. Still having quite a bit of fun with this.

On another note, I successfully refurbished my espresso maker with new gaskets. Functions much better now, and the leak that had developed went away when I descaled the machine.

A Hario coffee dripper arrived last week in the mail, but I haven’t had a chance to test it out yet.

I stumbled across this one while looking up some Sanskrit numbers (you use these to count in traditional Ashtanga practice), and it’s pretty good, as well as showcasing Pattabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga, instructing some Second Series poses.

Enjoy!

Yoga studios, by and large, extol the benefits of a hot, sweaty practice, to the point of many studios having specifically heated rooms in which to practice. The idea is that a perspiring warm body is more flexible and less prone to injuries, as well as making one more able to get deeper into poses. There’s also some suggestion (which I have always wondered whether is backed by medical research) that sweating removes “toxins” from the body.

I understand all that.

However, for me, personally, sweating profusely produces some negative effects, primarily because, for whatever reason, I always sweat more than anyone in the class. I’m always just astounded at the end of some long practices, when I observe other members of the class with little or no sweat, while I’m completely soaked. Further, I find that at a certain point, a lot of sweat produces more stress on my practice, leading it to start faltering if it continues long enough. There’s also the distraction of “sweat management,” that is, the towels, the wiping, the headbands and blankets. I know for certain that my sweating isn’t confined to yoga, because I experienced the same thing in running and other cardio activities, with the same results: my performance suffers. I was always a “cold weather runner,” whereas some of my running buddies did better in the South Texas heat.

At any rate, I do have some issues with the reflexive insistence on more heat that we find in yoga studios, since I’m usually the one most affected by this. Also, it seems odd that an instructor who insists on heat and no air movement (read: fans) then becomes too squeamish to adjust a hot, sweaty body (I’m not kidding; this happens…a lot). After some reflection, I suppose there really is no good solution to this, unless I’m just willing to do most of my practices in an environment I have more control over, which isn’t likely at this point.

On the other hand, teaching at a gym is quite different: there’s no conscious effort to heat the room, and in fact, some rooms are much colder than they need to be. The students, unused to yoga studio environments, do not recognize the benefits of sweating and a warmer room, and do things like drink water during the practice (this is frowned upon, if not outright outlawed in some yoga studios, as it reduces the benefits of ujjayi breathing. Well, anyway, I suppose my sweating is just an issue that I’ll have to deal with internally, and just get used to occasional bouts of stress.

According to my latest reading, Real Food: What to Eat and Why, the author highly and in great detail recommends drinking whole, raw milk, fresh from the farm. It’s not too difficult to believe the the industrial processes of pasteurization and homogenation destroy necessary vitamins, minerals, and good fats. Yes, yes, we are continuing our exploration of what to eat, a la Gary Taubes, and trying out the notion that much of the low fat, high carb, meat is bad dogma we’ve been fed (sorry) most of our lives is, well, just completely wrong. To that end, I’ve located a couple of sources just outside the city for raw milk. (Texas, surprisingly, has a raw milk farmer certification program). I’m very curious about this, and about whether drinking such milk will increase my body weight. A continuing series…

I am still glowing from the other day…held my handstand longer than ever before! I am well aware, however, of how strange this must seem to those who don’t practice yoga in general, and advanced inversions in particular. It’s so encouraging, though, to continue to make progress, and of course, the practice itself is quite intense, addicting even. As a bonus, I’m learning more about adjusting people and helping them practice backbends and stretches. Once again, I feel lucky to be allowed to participate in this, since I notice that many people who are at least as accomplished as I am are not invited to take part. It is a rare thing, to be sure, and one that will probably not come again once it’s over, so I am motivated to get as much of it as I can while it lasts. (Writing these words makes me think that I should put off my teacher training for awhile…hmmmm). Well, thanks again to Ana, and of course Vladimir for his most effective teaching, and Barbara and Alejandro for their inspirational practice (I learn as much from watching them as I do from participating).

Well, it was really more of an extended class, but still…was happy with the way it turned out, and I think everyone had fun and learned something. Here is the written presentation in its entirety:

Developing Upper Body Strength and Flexibility:
Chaturangas, Arm Balances and Binds

By Carl Lobitz

“Do your practice and all is coming.”—Sri K.Pahtabhi Jois, founder of Ashtanga yoga

Introduction

Practicing yoga increases strength, flexibility, and balance. Of these, upper body strength and flexibility are crucial to practicing some of the more advanced asanas: head and hand stands, arm balances, and jumping forward and back. In many cases, those new to yoga practice are not properly instructed as to the correct form in practicing asanas that are designed to develop upper body strength and so are hampered in their efforts, leading to lack of progress and discouragement. This workshop is intended to address these issues.

Please Modify!

There is no shame in modifying ones practice in order to fully participate in asanas; in fact, some modifications are extremely helpful in developing the strength necessary to find your ultimate expression of the pose. Never forget: your yoga practice is your own, no one else’s. There is no judgment or competition in yoga, and everybody’s “body” is different. Do not allow any instructor to push you into a pose your body is not ready for; always move in the direction of the pose, but stop when you feel pain, too much pressure or intensity, or any other signal from your body. Never hurry to reach a pose, but pause and ask your body for permission. Relax, breathe, and have fun with your practice!

The Basic Pose of Strength: Chaturanga Dandasana (Four Limbed Staff Pose)

Chaturanga is perhaps the most basic and yet one of the most difficult poses to master. The full expression involves the entire body: the toes are pushing back, the legs are engaged, the bandhas are fully locked, the arms are holding the torso suspended slightly off the ground, and the neck and head are extended. Those new to yoga often assume that the pose involves only arm and shoulder strength; there is no doubt that upper body strength is required for this pose, but the effort is notably less when the entire body is actively engaged. One of the keys to chaturanga is the position of the shoulders in relation to the arms: the upper arm is ideally parallel with the mat, and the shoulders do not dip below the elbows. Allowing the shoulders to drop will, over time, increase the chance of rotator cuff injuries, so it is crucial to bring the shoulders upwards and forward as the torso moves downwards toward the mat. The most effective means of modifying this pose until one attains the necessary arm strength is coming to the knees instead of keeping the legs suspended; this allows for the development of upper body strength while preserving the integrity of the pose. In most Ashtanga or power vinyasa classes, many chaturangas are routinely practiced, and upper body strength will naturally develop when the correct form is adopted.

Standing in Your Hands: Arm Balances

Many of the more difficult (and fun!) asanas in yoga involve some standing in the hands. As such, arm balances are crucial in developing the strength and balance required to practice these advanced asanas. We normally stand in our feet and are much more familiar with the bodily “feelings” of doing so; conversely, standing in ones hands for the first time can be strange and possibly even intimidating. Hand placement is one of the keys to successful arm balances, as well as spreading the fingers wide and pushing firmly into the mat with wrists, palms and fingers.

Bakasana: the basic arm balance

Bakasana, often mistakenly called crow (“baka” means crane), is the starting asana for arm balances. It develops arm and banda strength and balance, and is relatively easy for those new to yoga practice. The proper technique is to squat on the floor with arms inside the knees. Move the knees apart wide enough for the upper torso to come forward. Plant the palms firmly into the mat, rock the torso forward and look forward (keep the chin up), and bring the knees to the armpits or upper arms. From a position of balance, begin to bring one or both feet off the floor and bring them together. Make sure to strengthen the bandhas or core. Gradually straighten the arms. There really are no modifications to this pose, other than simply keeping the feet on the floor.

Parsva Bakasana (“side crow”)

A common method of getting into this pose is to start in Utkatasana (“chair”). Bring the hands into prayer and bend the knees deeper. Take the elbow to the opposite knee and twist from the waist. Drop the hands to the floor and plant one hip on one elbow and the same side knee on the other elbow. As proficiency is attained, the hip placement will become unnecessary and the balance will only be maintained on the knee resting on the elbow. Keep the knees bent, or gradually extend the legs, and split the legs in the final expression. Use bandha strength to bring the legs back to center and into chaturanga.

Eka Pada Koundinyasana (“running man”)

There are multiple ways of finding this pose. The most common is to start from crescent lunge, bringing the hands down inside the front foot. Lift the hips upward and bring the shoulder underneath the knee. Bring the same arm as the front leg outside the bent knee, take the front foot off the floor, and rock the torso forward. As balance is achieved, begin to slowly lift the back leg off the floor and straighten the front leg. Complete by bringing both legs back to center and come into chaturanga. Modifications are to stop at any point in the sequence when unable to continue.

Astavakrasana (“eight limbed arm balance”)

A very effective sequence to attain this pose is to begin seated with legs extended. Keeping the spine straight, raise one leg and take the leg or foot in one or both hands, lifting it towards the chest and stretching the quads and hamstrings. Bend the extended knee and bring it over the shoulder. Place both hands into the mat alongside the hips and raise the torso and extended leg off the ground. Bring the ankles together, and slowly take the legs out to the same side as the bended knee, aiming to straighten the legs. Use chaturanga arms to maintain balance, and slowly bring the legs back to center, bending the knee again, and lower the torso back to the floor. Once again, to modify, stop at any point prior to the final expression.

Developing Upper Flexibility: Binds

Binds are an excellent way to enhance your upper body flexibility. Remember that the purpose of the bind, ultimately, is to provide leverage to lead your shoulders and torso into a deeper expression of the pose. We will start with some seated binds and move into some standing poses involving binding.

The basic bind: Marichyasana A (“bound sage”)

Like Bakasana, this bind is the starting point for more advanced poses. Regular practice will increase upper body flexibility. Beginning in seated with legs extended, bring one knee up to the chest. The placement of the bent knee can vary, but ideally, the foot should be placed near the perineum. Straighten the spine and (optional) raise the arm corresponding to the bent knee up as you inhale. Square the shoulders over the extended leg, and as you exhale, forward bend over the extended leg as you wrap your other arm around the bent shin. Reach behind the back with the other arm and join the hands. As more flexibility is gained, the joining of the hands move from clasped fingers to wrapping the wrist between index finger and thumb (it does not matter which hand does the “binding” and which does the “holding”). Try to bring the chin to the knee. Modification: move as far into the pose as possible, but do not join the hands.

Moving the twist deeper: Marichyasana C

A slightly more advanced posture, this twist increases flexibility of the entire upper body. Bring one knee to the chest and place the foot flat on the floor as in Marichy A. Bring the bent knee hand back behind your hips and begin squaring the shoulders towards the side of the mat while straighening the spine. Bring the other elbow to the outer side of the bent knee and use this contact to increase the intensity of the twist. To bind, wrap the bent knee with the arm and bring the other arm around to meet it. This pose is easy to modify by stopping before the bind is achieved.

Standing binds: lifting the chest to the sky

Beginning with Virabhadrasana A (“warrior one”), bring the hands to the chest in prayer position. Take the arm corresponding to the front (bent) knee underneath the front thigh and wrap the other arm around the back, aiming to join the hands or circle the wrist as described above. Once contact is achieved, use the bind to rotate and lift the chest upwards. To reverse the bind, come back to Vira A and take the opposite arm underneath the front thigh, reaching back with the other arm. Try not to allow the back foot to come off the floor. A modification for this pose would be to point the back toes forward and bring the back heel off the floor, effectively coming into crescent lunge. To extend this pose, bring the back leg forward to meet the front leg, while remaining in the bind. Root into the unbound leg and slowly raise the torso and bent leg up and aim to straighten the spine. To take the full expression of Svarga Dvidasana (“bird of paradise”) straighten the bound leg.

Therapeutic Considerations

When practicing yoga, it is easy to get caught up in the enthusiasm for the practice and the resulting progress and proficiency, without considering the potential for injuries. Particularly in the case of an intense vinyasa or Ashtanga practice, performing numerous chaturangas without regard for counter exercises can lead to stiff shoulders or rotator cuff injuries. One solution for this is to regularly practice activities which utilize the muscles in the opposite way, such as rowing and pullups. The development of the serratus anterior muscles is also encouraged through the practice of bringing the elbows down to the floor when in downward facing dog (“turbodog”). When practicing arm balances, care must be given to the wrists which can become sore or sprained. To alleviate such ailments, consistently practice rotating the wrists inwards and outwards, both with fingers extended and hands closed. When binding, take care not to hyperextend the elbows; this is mostly caused by trying too hard to achieve the bind. Remind yourself that your developing flexibility is the key to binds, not how much you can stretch your arms! Regular practice of these countermeasures should alleviate any physical ailments associated with upper body strength and flexibility.

Conclusion

Developing upper body strength and flexibility is key to advancing your yoga practice. By using proper form and cautiously but joyfully extending your body’s capabilities, you will find that your entire yoga practice will improve. Always be guided by the words of David Williams, the yogi who brought Ashtanga yoga to the US in the 1973: “If it hurts, you’re doing it wrong.”

Namaste!

Well, we mourn the loss of our teacher, who is moving back to the East Coast in a couple of months. However, we hope to be taking some more teacher training to extend our knowledge and experience, while deepening our practice. (My use of the second person probably reflects the amount of wine I’ve consumed…look for first person in the next post). Really appreciating the mental and physical satisfaction of teaching at this moment. Our acro-yoga practice is continuing and reflects more progress, although the rate seems to be slowing, but the physical challenge remains.

Well, I guess this was inevitable…found an incredibly cheap coffee roaster (the FreshRoast on our local craigslist the other day and snapped it up. Actually, it fits in perfectly with my other coffee purchases–cheap and functional, allowing maximum learning before I decide to upgrade. So far, I’m still learning, but once again wondering why in the world do people go to place like Starbucks? The coffee is inferior, the beans are stale and burnt, and the espresso is execreable. It’s really easy to roast your own beans…takes about five minutes and some knowledge about when to stop the process. Just another geek thing, I guess. Anyway, I suppose my coffee education is complete (of course, we need some more time to refine our knowledge, but that’s just expected).

Well, this month has been very bad, in terms of misfortune to myself and the people that we know. However, we realize in these situations that yoga serves as a lifeline to those afflicted with stress and life changing events. Many thanks to all my friends, who also made things easier, oftentimes merely by just their presence. I’ve been keeping up with Acro-Yoga as best I can, and I am again impressed with the amazing physical workout it offers, as well as the calming influence afterwards. I’ve also deepened my yoga practice (my physical abilities have improved somewhat, see Acro, above) but the meditative aspects of yoga have been revealing themselves to me more lately. My latest ambition is to take Tim Miller’s Ashtanga teacher training in July in Encinitas, CA. I will be taking his workshop here in March, and I expect to make a decision shortly after. Here’s hoping for a much better, wiser, happier, and more prosperous new year!

Here’s a Thanksgiving tradition at my house (actually, my parents’, which is where Turkey Day takes place since time immemorial), that I started when I dug the recipe out of the newspaper (back when we had a newspaper). Now, it seems that most of the family expects me to appear with it, so here goes:

Almond Squash Soup

4 tablespoons butter
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
1 leek, white part only, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
4 ounces (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup flour
4 medium yellow squash, diced into 3/4 inch pieces
1 1/2 tablespoons rosemary, minced
5 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup toasted almonds
1 cup half and half, or as needed
salt and pepper to taste

Melt 4 tablespoons butter in medium sized pan, then add onion, leek, carrot, celery and garlic, and saute gently until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
While vegetables are cooking, make a roux. Melt 4 ounces butter in separate pan, add flour, stirring in well. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, about 8 minutes. Remove roux from heat and set aside until needed.
When vegetables are tender, add squash and saute 8 more minutes. Add rosemary and stock, and bring mixture to a boil. Add prepared roux, stir to blend, and allow mixture to cook and thicken about 5 minutes.
Remove from heat and puree in blender, along with toasted almonds, until smooth. Heat half and half and add to soup until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper as desired.
Yield: 8 servings

I modify this recipe somewhat, depending upon (yes!) what I have in the kitchen. Also, in the past I’ve used skim milk instead of half and half and whole milk. I think the flavor doesn’t suffer.

This is a real conundrum; our traditional advice has been to eschew full fat dairy and take the low/no fat versions, because full fat contains harmful saturated fats. Well, we are now at a crossroads, with some saying that some very healthful fats are contained in full fat dairy, and various enzymes and such. Also, there’s the anecdotal argument that we used to consume full fat dairy products and we weren’t obese, you know, back in the day. I really don’t think there’ s a good definitive answer at this point, although a lot of people think they know. At any rate, here’s an interesting technical article about some of the beneficial effects of cow’s milk.