Electronic Press Kit

Helen
Pickles

Ceremonial Guitarist Vocalist Vocal Guide Medicine Woman Sacred Space Holder

Based in the UK  ·  Available worldwide  ·  colibriheartsong.com

Who she is

Helen Pickles is a musician, voice facilitator, and holistic practitioner devoted to the healing power of sound, expression, and embodied presence. Based in the UK and available worldwide, she brings rare ceremonial depth to every stage, circle, and sacred space she enters.

"When we know our voice, we know ourself — and we lead from sovereignty."

With roots in classical music, yoga, Bhakti, somatic healing, and years immersed in healing communities in both the UK and Peru, Helen's path has been a journey of reconnecting voice with emotion, spirit, and authentic human expression. Experiences with sacred music, plant medicine traditions, improvisational vocal practices, and periods of deep personal transformation have all shaped her understanding of voice as a pathway into the body, the unconscious, and the soul.

Through voice activation, breathwork, movement, meditation, improvisation, and play, Helen creates grounded, heart-led spaces where people can soften self-judgment, release emotional blockages, and reconnect to the natural freedom and power of their voice.

Her philosophy balances playfulness and surrender with practice and discipline — integrating both structure and flow, masculine and feminine energies. She believes creativity is not about perfection, but about returning to a more open, childlike state of connection with life. Alongside joy and expansion, Helen also welcomes the deeper emotions that can arise through the process — inspired by Ram Dass' phrase "grist for the mill," she sees suffering not simply as something to overcome, but as part of the alchemy of healing, awakening, and transformation.

Helen's guitar is not background music. It is ceremony. She brings the same attentiveness to a festival stage as she brings to a medicine space — and the two are, for her, the same thing.

Four ways to book Helen

Live Performance

Festivals · Ceremonies · Kirtan · Events

Ceremonial guitar and vocals for ayahuasca ceremonies, kirtan evenings, wellness festivals, women's events, and intimate sacred gatherings. Helen understands the ceremony space from the inside — she plays from within the container, not outside it. Available solo or as part of a wider musical facilitation team.

Vocal Activation Workshops

Groups · All Levels · 90 min – Full Day

Somatic, body-led workshops that use movement, improvisation, and ceremony to help participants find their voice — literally and figuratively. Designed for yoga studios, wellness festivals, retreat programmes, and corporate wellbeing events. No musical experience required. Groups of 8–30 people.

Song Circles

Community Gatherings · Regular or One-Off

Held gatherings where people come together to open their voices and their hearts. Not a class, not a performance — a circle where all sound is welcome. Can be hosted as a standalone evening event or embedded within a retreat or festival programme.

Retreat Music & Facilitation

Multi-day · Resident Musician or Co-Facilitator

Available as resident ceremony musician or vocal co-facilitator for multi-day retreats — women's immersions, plant medicine-adjacent retreats, yoga and embodiment retreats. Helen brings both the musicianship and the ceremonial grounding that makes music in retreat feel sacred rather than decorative.

Her credentials

Helen's training is named, verifiable, and rare. In a field where credentials are often vague, hers are specific.

Hear her speak and sing

The most direct introduction to Helen's voice, her path, and her philosophy is this 45-minute podcast interview — recorded in the Sacred Valley of Peru.

For live performance clips and ceremony music recordings, please contact [email protected] — video materials available on request.

Photos for press and promotion

Helen Pickles at Ausangate, Peru
Helen Pickles performing live
Helen Pickles
Song circle, Sacred Valley
Helen Pickles in ceremony
Helen Pickles playing guitar, Sacred Valley, Peru
High-resolution photos available on request. Contact [email protected] for press-quality images. Photos should be credited as indicated when provided.

What Helen needs to perform

Helen travels light and is flexible. The below represents a standard requirement — she's happy to work with what's available and discuss alternatives.

Audio

  • Guitar amplifier, or PA system with DI input for acoustic guitar
  • Guitar cables (1/4" jack, 2× minimum)
  • 1× vocal microphone (SM58 or equivalent) on a stand
  • 1× monitor wedge (or in-ear monitor if available)
  • Basic mixing console with reverb on vocal channel

Space

  • Minimum 2m × 2m performance area
  • A chair or stool (she may perform seated)
  • Warm lighting preferred — she performs best in ambient, candle-warm light rather than harsh stage lighting
  • A few minutes of quiet before she begins

She brings

  • Her own acoustic guitar
  • A guitar tuner
  • A small collection of ceremony objects (rattles, sacred items) if appropriate for the context

For ceremony specifically

  • A comfortable chair or cushion to sit on the floor
  • Darkness or candlelight preferred
  • Space to move if she needs to during ceremony
  • Permission to sing icaros and medicine songs as appropriate

Get in touch

For festival bookings, ceremony musician enquiries, retreat residencies, and workshop programming — reach out directly. Helen reads all enquiries herself.

Send a Booking Enquiry