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Woman in activewear reclining on a beige leather couch against a white wall.
Person exercising on a Pilates chair, wearing athletic clothing, with tattoos visible. 
Creative, athletic, functional pilates workouts you can do anywhere, anytime.

Helen is a comprehensively certified pilates instructor with over 600 hours of specialized pilates training and ten years of experience teaching in NYC.

Starfish on sandy beach with seashells, black and white.

When I’m not on the mat or in front of the camera, you can find me filling my camera roll with pictures of my boxer-pit mix, clumsily learning to speak French, attempting to bake, hoarding ceramic mugs, or hiking in the Catskills.

Woman in yoga pose with arms raised, sitting cross-legged on a wooden floor in a light workout outfit.

ABOUT HELEN PHELAN STUDIO

ABOUT HELEN PHELAN STUDIO

Person sitting on floor in front of beige couch, wearing dark leggings and a crop top.

In my life as a dancer, my whole identity was wrapped up in the way I looked. Working out was for the sole purpose of “sculpting” my body, and food was merely fuel that I tried to consume as little of as possible.

I couldn’t have felt worse both mentally and physically, yet the dance and wellness industries praised this rigidity as virtuous “discipline”. I was the epitome of the “no days off” type that makes my eyes roll back in my head so much now.

Woman in black workout attire sitting on a wooden stool, smiling, with tattoos on arms, wearing leg warmers.

While my militant devotion to these habits may have appeared healthy from the outside, it actually heightened my anxiety, zapped my energy, and even prompted an over-exercising injury that forced me to take a break from performing.

It didn’t take long to connect the dots that my obsession with being healthy was unhealthy.

I had to find a way to reconcile my love of movement with my disinterest in participating in toxic wellness, and the Helen Phelan Studio was born.

Education & Certifications

  • Elon University

    BFA Dance Performance & Choreography/BA Psychology

    Somatic Theory I & II

    Somatic Theory TA

    Classical Pilates Mat

    Independent Study Semester Focus on Classical Pilates

    The Lab Pilates

    Contemporary Comprehensive Mat and Apparatus

    Core Exercise Solutions/Dr. Sarah Duvall

    Prenatal + Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist

    Erika Bloom Pilates Plus

    Prenatal/Postpartum Pilates + Diastasis Correction

    Pilates for the Elderly: Protocols for Osteoporosis

    Pilates for Scoliosis with Kuan Hui Chew

    Kinected Center

    FAMI I (Functional Anatomy for Movement Injuries)

    The Psoas with Kuan Hui Chew

    East River Pilates

    Prenatal Pilates

    Postpartum Pilates

    Pilates for Low Back Pain

    TRX

    Suspension Training

    Functional Fitness

  • Institute for Integrative Nutrition

    Integrative Health Coach

    Evelyn Tribole

    Intuitive Eating PRO Skills

  • Maha Rose

    Reiki 1

    Reiki 2

    Reiki Mentorship