Hi - If you have time, I have a question for you. My 13 yr. old son was showing me some of the stretches he does for wrestling (his first year) and I was horrified. I told him to stop them until I tried to check with someone. He will lay on his back – knees bent – feet on the floor and lift up like bridge and go up onto the crown of his head. Then he would say, “nose to floor” and bend his head back more directing his nose towards the floor behind him. Then “left ear to floor” and turn the left ear to the floor and the same on the right. This can’t be a good thing to do can it? I would value your opinion on this. I really respect and think a lot of the coach – but I don’t think this can be good. Please let me know what you think. Thank you.
These are horrible movements by yoga standards. They will stress the vertebral column and cause potential misalignment of the vertebrae because yogis are taught to relax their muscular tension when they do extreme poses. However when done with a strong neck and not relaxing into the position they will build the tone of the neck muscles in all the directions possible. I have had some wrestling training in high school and know what the coach is aiming at achieving. This maneuver allows you or break out of the pin position in which your shoulders and both pinned to the mat. This is how you loose in wrestling competition. He is doing what is standard training for boys this age. As long as your son does not relax during this exertion his neck will be fine. But if he begins to complain of neck aches it is because he was doing the maneuver improperly, his coach can correct his practice. Blessings. Mukunda