it this bad technique?

If you have any intentions of muting strings, you have no option but to put your palm on the bridge.

i must start out by saying that i am quite new to playing guitar... and a lot of what i have learned has been derived from this site... in my limited travels i came across the following article, 'What to Look for In An Acoustic Guitar ( https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=104 )'

it mentions that the bridge is the is probably the most important part of the guitar. It goes on further to say that, "… the vibration [of the string(s)] is picked up by the bridge (not the whole unit, but the part where the strings touch) and is transmitted, through the bridge unit, into the sound chamber. The vibration is then amplified using the chamber arrangement, bounced through the struts (usually fan-shaped for classicals and box-shaped for acoustics), then pushed out from the soundhole."

when i read your question and was able to recall this article it made me think that you should probably not want to interfere with the bridge unit while playing

but, like i said, i am new to this beautiful instrument and i am sure that others will chime in with their take on the matter

the bottom of my palm rest on the bridge when i pick my guitar. for instance, the song "every breath you take" by the police. should i discontinue doing this?

You should work on strumming/ picking without resting your hand on the bridge as there are going to be times you simply don't want everything palm-muted.

Best,

A :-)

if you wanted to play in the style of say merle travis or chet adkins you would have your hand resting on the top three strings near the bridge ...it makes for a really cool sound with the muted bass notes but for just acoustic you want all the string to ring.. maybe if you praticed a little with planting your pinky and ring finger on the body of the guitar below the strings... it may help you raise the heel of your hand so you can get a feel for it ....

let us know how it works out

Joyce

one way u coudl solve it (if u hav trouble balancing ur hand like me) is to rest ur little picking hand pinky on the pickguard and this just gives a bit of extra stability which may be the reason why you're resting ur hand on the bridge

hope this helps
Alex