Devotion by client/student

Yoga Discussion Structural Yoga Therapy
#1

Dear Mukundaji,
>
Thank you for coming to service to my client Chaitanya. We reviewed the
pranayama you gave her today, which was challenging. Among other things she gets stuck in the diaphram. I did an assist with pitta balancing breath with her chanting OM and prescribed 5 minutes of pitta balancing breath daily. She is growing “devoted” toward me. And I simply told her that was fine and that the devotion that she feels is something already inside, and I am just a reflection of that. She is so wide open with the shaktipat.

 What do you say when a student like Chaitanya says they are devoted to you? 

   Also, what are the reasons for not teaching fish pose? In our training, I remember you saying that staying in Shoulderstand for long periods was not good because it starts to open the lower chakras too  much to inappropriate desire. Did you say that? And how long is too long?
#2

A: Devotion is to be encouraged. It is just that one must make it clear that it is about them and now about you. Object of devotion is the Divine. Divine does not take a personality; except in the case of avatars. Make clear you are not that. She should be good student. Good student seeks to follow the teachers advice and now that advice is to seek higher power, God/dess.

  Fish can be taught it is just that the precautions are many.    so if extendign the neck and palcement of effort is felt clearly then all will be fine.  There are alternative counter poses to shoulderstand.  Too long in shoulderstand will increase kapha and also may increase udana prana too much.  Checking the pulses, watching the recovery rate, or assessing the pranas must be done to determine how much is too much.  It will mostly appear as just not being sattvic within minute of the completion of the posture.