David Upson is an experienced yoga teacher, I have been able to work with runners, triathletes, kayak paddlers and keen amateur sportsmen and women as well as a range of people in age groups from 18 - 80 in group and 1-2-1 environments.

Teaching since 2014 with the YogaWorks and Appleyoga 200hr Yoga Alliance teaching certificates in Hatha / Vinyasa yoga styles. I’m now able to apply Yoga Sports Science techniques to offer improvements in both performance and injury prevention/ rehabilitation.

A former Olympic athlete myself, I understand fully the impact years of intense training patterns has on an athlete.  I remain convinced that cross-training, restoration, visualization and breath work are key to an athlete's longevity in their chosen sport.

I am highly organized, motivated and reliable with a background of 25 years in Engineering and IT Consultancy and a 10-year background in elite sport.

YSS Case Study Research: kayak paddler

Aim:  to explore whether a sport-specific yoga programme could improve shoulder mobility to help develop the athlete’s technique in line with the athlete and coaches preferences.

Subject: a junior female paddler and GB squad member, competing in sprint and marathon racing internationally and domestically. An intervention spanning 10 weekly 1-2-1 sessions of YSS sport-specific techniques and approaches, plus remote coaching to assist with restorative training patterns and schedules.

Measures: measures of mobility through the shoulder complex during performance of selected techniques, and reflective data. 

Research athlete quote: “The intervention is very time efficient because it’s tailored to you. You’re getting the stretches you need in a specific approach.  I was able to use a couple of the techniques for warm up and cool down alongside my own dynamic warm up drills.  So I’ve added these techniques into my race preparation. I think I would probably be injured by now if I hadn’t added this to my off season training.  I feel I can rotate my torso around more than before. I also have another couple of centimetres of extension into my stroke by being able to release the shoulder blades, something I could not do before”.