The Repertoire: Body-based creative practices to transmute heartbreak & grief into reinvention

A 6-week container to metabolize emotion, reclaim your identity, and embody joy again through movement, somatic ritual, and artistic exploration starting 5.4.26

You already know “The Body Keeps The Score” but you don’t know how to make it…not

Most people are never taught how to move through grief, heartbreak, or big life transitions.

In our darkest moments, we’re still expected to:

  • overload our schedules and somehow pull everything off

  • continue to anticipate other people's needs at the expense of our own

  • optimize, optimize, optimize

  • abide by a strict timeline to “get over it”

  • and push those big feelings down deep when they are inconvenient or make others uncomfortable

  • band-aid treat the physical manifestations of our hurt (the aches, the fatigue, the tension that will not go away) with endless expensive bodywork appointments instead of actually addressing the root cause

As they say, the show must go on!

…Even when we know deep down we’re just kicking that can of consequences down the road.

But! The heart and body don’t heal through sheer will, no matter how indomitably determined you are. (Trust me, I tried!)

They process the tough stuff through:

  • movement that completes the stress response (think your cat shaking it off after a humiliating tumble off the counter but x1000)

  • breath and presence that return to the nervous system to a more regulated state

  • and you’re gonna hate this part but…yes, time

I know all of the above can feel esoteric and overwhelming.

So, I created The Repertoire as a six-week course to help you build your own bespoke arsenal of embodiment methods that work for you.

The Repertoire will help you move out of the stress state, process, and integrate experience through the body…and because the grief did change you, non-intimidating creative practices for safe expression and meeting your new self.

Practices you can return to again and again.

Maybe this is where you are…

You might be here because:

  • You’re moving through a breakup, loss, or major life transition

  • You feel emotionally stuck or numb

  • You are realizing you can’t “think your way out” of this one

  • You want tools that help you feel grounded in your body again

  • You’re craving a creative outlet to put all this pain into but feel like an impostor calling yourself an artist…or, simply just have no clue where to start

If that sounds like you, The Repertoire will meet you where you are and get you feeling like yourself…nay, even better, in six weeks.

The Repertoire: Body-based creative practices to transmute heartbreak & grief into reinvention

The Repertoire is a six-week somatic and creative course designed to help you orient, ground, stabilize, process, and heal through embodiment and artistic expression.

Inside the program, you'll learn a collection of my favorite practices that support:

  • nervous system regulation

  • emotional processing

  • creative expression

  • embodied resilience

Each week introduces new practices drawn from:

  • esoteric anatomy

  • contemporary mat pilates and functional strength straining

  • somatic movement (shaking, tapping, humming, grounding, body scanning, etc;)

  • fascial release

  • breathwork and pelvic floor/diaphragm co-contraction and integration

  • channeled writing and guided journaling

  • poetry divination and bibliomancy

  • archetype embodiment

  • digital collage

  • modern dance inspired improvisation techniques

By the end of the course, you’ll have built your own repertoire of practices — tools you can return to anytime.

And if you’re thinking “Uh, sorry, you keep saying ‘somatic” but I was not a dance major and don’t know what you’re talking about…”

Somatic is just a fancy way of describing slow, intentional mindful movement that increases interoception (awareness of your internal experience), proprioception (orienting and awareness of your body in space), and strengthens the neuro-muscular connection.

Here’s what’s in your Repertoire:

A six-week guided experience designed to help you process change through movement, reflection, and creative expression.

Inside the program you’ll receive:

The Opening Ceremony

A ritual opening class to mark the transition into a new season of self-tending through grounding movement, nervous system regulation, and future-self visioning.

The Format: Weekly Live Group Somatic Sessions

Each week includes a live guided movement session with me to move emotions through the body with an intuitive blend of contemporary mat pilates, somatic movement, fascial release, and functional breath exercises exploring how the esoteric body aids in:

• anchoring through the feet and legs to find stability and safety
• fluid hip mobility to reconnect to your sensuality and creative energy
• core strengthening to find embodied agency and listen to your gut
• heart-opening to build confidence taking up space
• expressive upper body movement to reclaim your voice
• integrated full-body flow to release stored tension

The Inquiry: Daily Morning Pages & Post-Somatic Work Reflection
Weekly reflective journaling themes and prompts that deepen self-awareness, helping you explore identity shifts, emotional patterns, gratitude, and meaning as the course unfolds.

The Study: Somatic Creative Expression Practices
Hands-on creative exercises like collage, body mapping, movement improvisation, altar building, and narrative storytelling through movement to give form to experiences that are difficult to articulate.

Curated Reading & Inspiration
Thoughtfully selected excerpts from books exploring embodiment, neuroscience, creativity, and emotional resilience to support the themes of each week.

Community & Accountability

A private group for participants to ask questions, share their progress, stuck points, artistic explorations, hold space, and keep you invested in staying consistent.

Your Personal Repertoire
By the end of the course, you will have been exposed to several difference body-based approaches and developed your own best practices to return to whenever you need support navigating change, pain, and anxiety.

The transformation

By the end of The Repertoire you will have:

  • a repertoire of movement, ritual, and creative practices you can return to whenever you feel overwhelmed, stuck, or disconnected

  • a deeper understanding of how your body processes emotion—and how to work with it instead of against it

  • tools to move through intense feelings without shutting down, spiraling, or overthinking

  • a stronger sense of agency in your body—knowing you can shift your state through movement, breath, and expression

  • a more connected relationship to your intuition and creativity

  • safety to feel deeply without getting stuck there

  • increased body awareness and emotional resilience

  • finally understand what “listen to your body” means

  • maybe even release chronic pain from unprocessed emotion stuck in the body

You’ll leave with something tangible:

a Repertoire of practices you can rely on the next time you feel punched in the gut by grief.

The Repertoire is for you if:

  • You are navigating grief, heartbreak, loss, or a life transition

  • You need tools that help you shift your state and manage stress

  • You are curious about somatic movement and the mind-body connection

  • You are craving an artistic outlet but can’t seem to get a practice going

  • You want to feel more safety and calm in your body

  • You need structure but also space to move at your own pace

You don’t need to be “good” at fitness, movement, writing, or art, just willing to show up, be vulnerable, take risks, and get curious.

The Repertoire is not a replacement for therapy or professional mental health care, rather an additive complement and a place to organize your self-care. This work offers practices for working with your body, emotions, and creative expression, but it does not replace the support of a licensed therapist. If you need additional support, I encourage you to seek out a qualified mental health professional.

Maybe you’re staring at the screen thinking…

“I’m not an artist…what if I’m bad at this?”

This isn’t about being artistic or producing something “good.” Creative expression here is simply noticing, responding, and letting your body lead. There’s no right or wrong way to do it.

“I’m not coordinated, flexible, Or athletic and I don’t have any dance training…is this even for me?”

You don’t need any prior experience with movement, fitness, or art. The practices in The Repertoire are all explorative, meaning everyone from all levels of experience is trying new things for the first time. The Repertoire is an experiential course, not a performance. The guided improvisational dance based prompts are structured to help you access flow state and release through gesture that you can stylize in whatever way feels instinctual and authentic for you. The risk taking and discomfort inherent in somatic release and improvisation are what we're leaning directly into, not avoiding, and are precisely where the magic happens. There is no shift without vulnerability here, regardless of what prior training you may or may not have had.

“What if I look or feel awkward?”

You probably will at times. And that’s ok! We’ll all look and feel awkward together. That’s part of learning something new and letting go of control. The meat of this work is not how it looks like, rather, what it feels like. And over time, that awkwardness becomes less scary, and ultimately: freeing.

“I don’t trust myself to stay consistent with something like this.”

The heavy lifting of the creative practices happen during live classes to give you structure and stay accountable (though you will always have access to the replays if you can’t make class live). This is also where our community group will come in—ever notice how when you’re in a group fitness class you are able to give a little more effort than working out solo? That’s because collective energy is powerful, as is letting yourself be seen. While the six-week container is meant to be done consistently it’s what you make of it, not all-or-nothing or something you have to “keep up with”. It’s a set of practices you’ll have access to return to when you need them most.

“Is this going to be too woo-woo to be work?”

This work might feel different—but it’s not vague or ungrounded. It’s based on how your nervous system actually works: emotion shows up as physical sensation, your body responds through breath, tension, and movement, and those patterns can shift through structured, intentional practices. You’ll be guided through clear steps every time: orienting, breathing, moving, and coming back to regulation. So, while it may feel new, it’s also practical, repeatable, and rooted in your physiology.

The Repertoire is a six-week somatic ritual and creative expression program where you’ll learn how to process heartbreak, grief, and loss by working with your body, your creativity, and your internal rhythms.

The investment

  • 7 Weekly Semi-Private Somatic Movement sessions: The Format
    Guided sessions intuitive blend of contemporary mat pilates, somatic movement, fascial release, breath exercises (Value: $1,050)

  • 7 Free Drop-ins To The HPS Noon Zoom Format Fridays 12pm ET ($175)

  • 6 GUIDED IMPROVISATION WORKSHOPS: The Study

    Guided gestural and improvisational dance workshops where structure softens and intuition takes the lead—allowing you to explore movement, creativity, and identity without trying to get it “right, to follow impulses, experiment, and access parts of yourself that don’t usually come forward when everything is planned and controlled and pushed down (Value: $1050)

  • 6 Guided Journaling Workshops (The Inquiry)
    Structured writing sessions to help you process emotion, identify patterns, and build self-trust plus bonus daily journaling promptsa framework for consistent self-inquiry across all six weeks (Value: $450)

  • 6 Weekly Creative Practices & Rituals
    Workshops in poetry divination, channeled writing, digital collage, altar creation, and archetype embodiment to support expression and integration (Value: $300)

  • Curated Reading & Integration Materials
    Selected excerpts and homework exercises to deepen your understanding of esoteric anatomy, embodiment, creativity, brain rewiring, and nervous system regulation (Value: $100)

  • A private community Group

    A safe space to share your revelations, roadblocks, and artistry, ask questions, and be held accountable for consistency, so that this work can actually stick. (Value: $200)

A $3,275+ value, including live lectures and recordings, on-demand mini fascial release classes, and somatic sessions available only in The Repertoire, journaling prompts, a personalized ritual tracker, Notion templates, meditations, and more.

Investment: $1,499

The curriculum

The core methodology of The Repertoire is a combination of somatic pilates, strength, and release (The Format), guided embodied creative exercises and improvisational prompts (The Study), and daily reflective journaling (TheInquiry).

Think of it as: HPS’s cerebral athleticism x modern dance’s rebellious experimentation x The Artist’s Way’s ritualistic self-study and a sprinkling of neuroscience, light witchcraft and literary analysis.

  • Week one establishes a sense of stability and grounding in the body with fascia flossing for the the kidney and bladder energy channels, and pilates based intuitive movement movement for the root chakra and earth element.

    We then take our first baby steps into our regulating structured improvisation framework: orienting, breath, gesture, stillness, reflection.

    This week’s gesture prompts explore grief through resistance, weight, and sensation.

  • Week two softens control and reconnects you to fluidity, pleasure, and inner rhythm through fascia flossing for the kidney and liver energy channels and hip/pelvic floor focused functional movement f to unlock and strengthen the pelvic floor under the influence of the sacral chakra and water element.

    Then we’ll explore poetry divination and it’s embodied interpretation—translating channeled words into movement, shape, texture, and rhythm to access emotion in a non-linear catharsis.

  • Week three’s physical focus draws on the fire element, with athletic pilates based sequencing to develop deep core strength, heighten intuition, and cultivate personal agency, with a fascial release focus on the small intestine, pericardium, and triple warmer energy channels.

    Our improvisational exploration is of transformation—exploring action, choice, and self-trust and identifying your grief’s texture, sound, or form, then exaggerating, shifting, and reshaping it through movement to reclaim autonomy and direction.

  • Week four’s movement practice centers breath, openness, and connection, working with the heart and pericardium energy channels, heart chakra and air element, to create physical and energetic space and capacity for tenderness and expansion and correct posture.

    Creatively, we explore a visual-to-physical translation practice—creating a digital representation of your emotional landscape, then embodying its shapes, textures, and energy through improvised movement.

  • Week six’s movement practice emphasizes neck, face, and shoulder fascial release and strengthening for the liver, and intuitive pilates based movement inspired by the wood element and throat chakra.

    Then we explore archetype embodiment, using ancient myth as inspiration for personal myth making (and busting) and future self manifestation with simple movement phrase-work to discover, practice, and integrate how future you moves, sounds, and takes up space.

  • Week six brings everything together—integrating functional strength, fascial release for the lung and large intestine energy channels, overall body awareness, and identity into a more coherent whole working with the metal element and with the third eye and crown chakras.

    We create a culminating improvisational sequence—deconstructing your ideal/future self phrase-work from week five, introducing imperfection, imbalance, and unpredictability to build adaptability, integration, and self-trust.

Bonus tools:

  • Helen Phelan Studio’s 10 Principles of Intuitive Exercise PDF

  • Pre Pilates Practice Intentions To Reframe Your Relationship To Exercise PDF

  • How To Breath Functionally For Efficient Core Activation and Nervous System Regulation Tutorial & PDF

  • An evergreen recording of The Somatic Shed Masterclass

  • A Daily Ritual Tracker Notion Template

  • A comprehensive recommended reading list with every resource I drew material and inspiration from

  • And some surprises along the way!

Schedule:

Live Weekly Somatic Sessions are held Mondays 6pm ET/ 3pm PT

Week 0: 5.4.26 (Opening Ceremony & Preparatory Class)

Week 1: 5.11.26 6pm ET/ 3pm PT

Week 2: 5.18.26 6pm ET/ 3pm PT

Week 3: 5.25.26 6pm ET/ 3pm PT

Week 4: 6.1.26 6pm ET/ 3pm PT

Week 5: 6.8.26 6pm ET/ 3pm PT

Week 6: 6.15.26 6pm ET/ 3pm PT

All sessions are recorded and replays made available!

If we haven’t met yet…

I’m Helen!

I’ve been teaching movement in NYC for almost thirteen years (!!) and am the founder of Women's Health Magazine FitTech award winning online pilates platform, Helen Phelan Studio.

I received my dual BFA in dance performance and choreography and BA in psychology with an independent study semester in classical pilates and Somatics In Action from Elon University in 2013. I even TA-ed Somatic Theory I and II back in the day!

From there, I went on to become a professional dancer and as the tale as old as time typically goes…promptly got injured due to poor nutrition, pushing through pain, and abusing my body in the name of hustle. I got even deeper into pilates as rehab for my several stress fractures and fell in love with it’s ability to heal my body and shift my mental state.

This course is a melting pot of my various studies and niche interests:

I’m comprehensively certified in pilates mat and apparatus by Kinected/The Kane School of Core Integration, and hold additional certifications in functional anatomy for movement injuries, Core Exercise Solutions/Dr. Sarah Duvall’s Prenatal and Postpartum Corrective Exercise Specialist program, The Floss™ Fascia Flossing I, II, and III, TRX functional fitness, TRX suspension training, Intuitive Eating™ Pro Skills, Institute For Integrative Nutrition Health Coaching, Good Move’s Somatic Intuitive Leadership Training, Reiki I and II, completed a year long cohort of Motherwort & Rose’s Tears Of The Gods: Plants As Allies For Creating During Times of Loss and Transformation, and have recently begun my Somatic Experiencing® studies.

My on-demand pilates baby, Helen Phelan Studio has been featured in The New York Times, The Cut, InStyle, Bustle, Huffington Post, Coveteur, MindBodyGreen, Well & Good, Women’s Health, and more…

But what really matters is this:

I created this course after experiencing a series of capital-T traumas.

I relied on embodiment, breathwork, movement, dance, journaling, and perhaps most importantly, reclaiming my identity as an artist, to claw my way back to the land of the living, genuine joy, expansiveness, and an even stronger, more resilient, more vibrant version of myself (in concert with working with my licensed therapist).

The Repertoire is an all-encompassing collection of the practices that brought the color back to my face. I hope they are of service.

Enroll now

$1,499

Pay In Full

$1,699

Four Payments Of $424.75