Helena is an amazing Pilates instructor, and the hands-down best masseuse I've ever had. After working with her weekly for almost two years (whoa, time flew) she would still find new ways and methods of exercise. My regular practice with her was a big contributor to my physical and mental well being during some stressful periods that I was not otherwise taking good care of myself. I did duets with her as well as individual classes, and some of her workshops. Helena is kind, funny, and honest. There aren't many people I can start my day with at 7 AM, but she is one. She pushes you to stretch your limits but also encourages you to listen to your body, and watches your body and listens to you. She invests in her equipment and is constantly taking trainings and lessons with other instructors to improve and bring the best back to her clients. She does trigger point massage, which brings the pain and the results. You know that feeling after you chop off several inches of your hair, and your head feels like and you know you look amazing? MY WHOLE BODY FELT THAT WAY. It's uncomfortable but effective. Honestly, I can't say enough good things about Helena, both personally and professionally. I would be a lifelong client if not for a cross-country move. read more

Helena is incredibly knowledgeable, creative and supportive. Therefore, each session is tailored to you just as you are at that moment, to help you become the person you can be. I look forward to every session, knowing I will feel stronger and more functionally able. Helena challenges me and, with skill and encouragement, she helps me get stronger, more flexible, more agile, more self-confident in movement. This is very important to me, as a 71-year old, with 2 total knee replacements and a spinal chord injury, who has lots of bad habits from years of obesity and underuse in my relatively recent past. I live in Los Angeles, but am regularly in Cambridge where my new grandson and his parents live. I was blest to work with Helena for 6 weeks straight around when he was born. Now I can't wait to work with Helena whenever I am in town, she is amazing -- and has made a huge difference in my life. read more

Helena is amazing! I've been taking private Pilates lessons with her for two years, and in that time, my body has gotten so much stronger, and I've learned so much about the ways my different muscle groups interact. Helena really takes the time to understand your body and personalizes the exercises to your strengths, weaknesses, abilities, and goals. As other reviews have mentioned, she has really in-depth knowledge of anatomy and muscle groups, and under her instruction, I've become a stronger athlete both in and out of the gym. Helena is also an all-around amazing human, and she's been a trusted mentor and friend to me. I'm moving away from Boston, and one of the things I will miss the most is our weekly sessions. My next Pilates instructor will have big shoes to fill! read more

A Fabulous Find! I was looking for a Pilates instructor who could help me with my back and shoulder issues and was not far from where I worked in Kendall Square. I found Helena's site on Yelp and could not have been more delighted. In less than six month of training she was able to alleviate my back and shoulder pain, something that other trainers, PTs and Doctors had not been able to resolve for me over the past 30 years! Helena offerers more than Pilates and massage, she provides a holistic approach to the needs of the body that is built on a deep understanding of the muscular structure, ways to release and strengthen areas of the body that need attention and being a good listener and teacher. I honestly cannot say enough good things about the services Helena provides. 7/2/17 ... Working with Helena for 3 years now on a weekly basis and I wouldn't change a thing in my review! She's help me build a more balanced body and improved my strength so I can continue to enjoy bicycling and most every other daily activity ... I'm delighted! read more

Helena was recommended to me after I spent a weekend at Canyon Ranch in Lenox. A skilled practitioner with extensive experience and training, Helena's caring interest in each and every one of her students guarantees you reaching your own personal best. Wise, honest, a big heart, a sharp mind and a good sense of humor, I highly recommend Helena without reservation. read more

Helena clearly has an extensive knowledge of Pilates and a wonderful ability to teach. She has been able to determine effective ways to address the limited range of motion and pain that has resulted from my mastectomy, cervical spine injury, and years of uneducated (but fun) physical overuse. Helena's encouragement and enthusiasm has made the process a positive one and enabled me to take satisfaction in dealing with problems and actually gain overall strength and coordination through Pilates. Her grasp of anatomy and skill as a massage therapist has further complemented the Pilates. My work with Helena has been much more productive and enjoyable than any efforts taken with physical therapy. Helena is an insightful, articulate Pilates instructor and highly recommended. read more

Helena is a very knowledgeable pilates instructor/massage therapist with reasonable prices for private lessons and is very encouraging! She also instructs at BU and at Harvard university. read more

I found Helena doing a Google search for best pilates teachers and I read the blurb about her and thought she would good to work with. Helena is incredibly knowledgeable, diligent, dedicated, and patient. I started pilates because to build core strength and stability for acrobatics and I had a lot more free time this year. Lack of core strength is one of the factors that probably made a back injury especially worse. I also have scoliosis. I did not know it was very noticeable because the school nurse and the pediatrician told me it was mild when I was growing up. It wasn't until my coaches and fellow students commented that I was very twisted that I knew it was a problem. Since started working with Helena, my back went through a period where it would be relieved of pain for 2 days out of the week (which is extremely rare). Currently, I can go at least half or the majority of the week without feeling or complaining of back pain. We still have a lot of work to do, but I found working with Helena to be more effective than physical therapy and chiropractic care. (Don't get me wrong, a good chiropractor is a God-send. Treatment from a good chiropractor brings immediate relief to back pain. However, I find that the relief is more long- lasting with pilates). Helena has been a great teacher for me because she is attentive and doesn't just assume I am athletic. Past physical therapists have had trouble figuring out why I feel pain because I have a larger range of motion than most patients they see. They don't monitor me to make sure I am recruiting and engaging the right muscles. I am accustomed to working out like a dumb jock. Additionally, because I have a high pain tolerance, I didn't stop until something was really injured. That kind of mentality is not sustainable if you want to do what you love for a long time. As Helena has said, the people who do it professionally are smart. Working with Helena has been challenging (in a good way) because I have had to be more conscious and mindful of proper technique and things I used to consider minor, but they make a difference. I am someone who is used to learning by mimicking shapes, but you can create similar shapes and be defeating the purpose of an exercise/ stretch, if you're not experienced or working with a good instructor. For example, Helena continually reminds me to adjust my head positioning and where I am looking because it affects the rest of the body and what we're trying to do with it. I realized that peek at the rest of my body with my head/ eyes because rely heavily on visuals, but as Helena says it is good to learn how something like neutral feel and memorize how it feels. I've also had the opportunity to work on my weakest learning style with her-- listening. I'm grateful that Helena is patient and diligent with making corrections. Even if I wasn't an athlete, I still think pilates has an important relevance to daily health and life for most people. I feel a lot better even in my daily activities of sitting and walking around. I wish I had this kind of foundation when I was a kid/ youth because it builds good habits. Overall, it has been a tremendous learning and growing experience working with Helena and I strongly recommend her as a teacher. read more

Helena is amazing! She teaches you how to use your body and which muscles you are supposed to use for each movement. I learned so much from her. She recently started gyrotonic lessons and taking gyrotonic lessons from her is super helpful if you have a posture problem. I had weekly private/duet lessons with her for more than 1 year. Unfortunately, I moved to Chicago and so I am looking for an instructor who is as knowledgeable as Helena is. read more

Helena was really instrumental in helping me figure out how to use my body properly in a stable and pain-free manner. I took weekly private lessons with her for 2 years after several contortion coaches recommended I focus on Pilates for core strengthening and muscle isolation. Helena is a super patient, dedicated, and thoughtful instructor. She clearly spent time outside of our lessons thinking about exercises that would help me achieve my goals, and took time outside of our lessons to observe me practice acrobatics or contortion so she could more specifically tailor our lessons. Thanks to her, I have been able to eliminate the hip pain I started with, and I've been introduced to all sorts of muscles I never knew existed! I can't recommend her highly enough, for Pilates or massage. read more

Helena is a phenomenal pilates instructor and massage therapist. I have gotten trigger point massage treatment, which is not for the faint of heart, as well as individual and group pilates classes. She is caring and tough at the same time. read more

Helena is an amazing pilates instructor and massage therapist. She is truly the best pilates instructor I have ever had. She is very caring and personalizes sessions to help you overcome any physical issues you have with your body. She has helped immensely with my posture and my scoliosis. She is extremely knowledgable in pilates and massage. Her trigger point massages are great and have helped me a lot. She also helped me find a pilates studio in a different city when I went away for the summer. I highly recommend Helena for both pilates and massage sessions. She is really the best and most enjoyable instructor. read more

Helena is a fantastic instructor. I have been in her classes for two years, and I have learned so much from her. She exceeds any instructor I have ever had in knowledge of the body - anatomy - as well as in her ability to help pin point the type of exercise or correction that will address whatever a particular individual's body requires. She creates good, positive energy in the class, and is always changing up the exercises so it never gets old. I would recommend her without reservations!! read more

I've been working with Helena for a little over a year now, taking once-per-week pilates duet classes at Elm Street in Cambridge. In a word, she is AMAZING!! She is highly educated on proper form and technique and has a knack for communicating it to make sure we do the moves properly. Her studio is comfortable and clean. I also get regular massages, and her professionalism and knowledge are equally strong when it comes to massage. If you're a runner, biker, swimmer or generally athletic, you will find her massages productive each time. She understands anatomy at a high level, and is great at explaining how things are connected and what sorts of adjustments to posture or movement patterns might help make things better. I recommend her without reservation. She is highly skilled at her crafts. She is also an exceptional human--kind, hilarious and understanding on days when things feel more difficult. read more

My wife recommended me to Helena for a deep-tissue massage for my sore back. I had previously had Piriformis Syndrome and so I was looking to also have my gluts massaged. Helena did an exam of sorts, and identified that (part of) the problem was my extremely tight hip flexors. She then gave me the best massage of my life, totally loosening up my hips and alleviating the soreness in my back. I have since moved to another city, but I wish I could go back to Helena; I haven't been able to find anyone as good as her. read more

Helena understands how the body works together as a system and was able to fix my tendonitis and carpal tunnel issues. Her application of neuromuscular and trigger point massage solved my hand, wrist, and arm problems by lengthening my muscles and making occupational therapy more effective. I'm back on the squash court. Helena also improved my posture by focusing on the right msucle group; her approach to massage is complementary to my agility training. Helena is professional, clever, and the best kept, affordable secret. read more