How it all started…
Hula for the Soul was created in 2009 after I learned that my father was diagnosed with two types of inoperable cancer. It was then that I realized that as my direct connection to my ancestral Hawaiian lineage, my father represented not just a generation, but an entire history of living and growing up in Hawai’i. I quickly realized that once he was gone, so was all of his knowledge, wisdom, experience and most of all, his gift of music and aloha. Along with my mother’s hula teachings and her devotion to all things Hawaiian, I came to understand that my gift of hula and knowledge of Hawaiian culture and values was something I had to honor and share.
So Hula for the Soul was born
It’s my desire that you come to know that hula can touch your soul and bring you peace and calm in a crazy, hectic world. It can bring you joy and lift your spirits. And it’s something that once you embrace, can never be taken away.
I invite you to join me on this journey and learn how hula and Hawaiian principles for living can help you reconnect with your inner mana (power) and how you can call upon that power whenever and wherever you need.
My Story
I was born in San Diego, but grew up in Chico, a small town in Northern California. My mother was a professional hula dancer when she met my father, so my three older sisters, my younger brother and I all learned to dance hula as soon as we could walk. As a family, we performed at what seemed to be every Hawaiian-themed occasion in the tri-county area; everything from backyard parties to Aloha Friday events and of course, the annual Elks Lodge Luau.
My family returned to San Diego in the early ’80s and I began my corporate “career” as a secretary and didn’t have the opportunity to dance hula on a regular basis. Working one’s way up the ladder as a woman was not easy in those days, but I learned everything I could and persevered. Ultimately I was a Human Resources Director for a Sheraton Four Points hotel and a member of the executive team.
In 1995 I moved to Santa Clara, California where I created marketing communications for global leaders such as Nokia, France Telecom and Cisco Systems. The manic pace of high-tech in Silicon Valley can take its toll on a person. I credit hula and the Hawaiian values and principles I was taught as a young girl as being key for me to not only survive, but thrive in a place so far from home.
It was during this time that I had the privilege of studying hula with the late Aunty Linda Danek of Hula Halau ‘O Pi’i'lani. As a member of the Gracious Ladies group I had the great fortune to compete on both the mainland in the ‘Ia ‘Oe E Ka La Hula Festival in Pleasanton, California, and on the Big Island (Hawai’i) in the King David Kalakaua Invitational Hula Festival in Kona. My ancestral line is from the Big Island and going there with my hula sisters, going to Pele’s home at Halemaumau Crater and offering pule and connecting with the land (aina), the air (makani), the water (wai and kai), and the mana of that place…it was like “going home.”
And while my father is my bloodline connection to Hawaiian music and my Hawaiian roots, it’s been my mother (who, by the way is not Hawaiian) who instilled in me a love and a passion for hula and all it represents. It’s because of her passion that she still teaches and performs hula today at the age of 78 years young.
Mahalo for taking the time to read this. I hope it gives you a little more insight into why Hula for the Soul is such a passion and a calling for me and why I’m so committed to sharing a little bit of aloha with the world.
In the spirit of aloha,
~Yvonne Kamamalulaniohailionaona Ohumukini Urness
Yvonne Ohumukini Urness is co-author of the book Power to Change and the founder of Hula for the Soul. A native Hawaiian shaman and healer who calls on the ancient rhythms of hula and the ancient wisdom of her ancestors, Yvonne teaches women how to experience fulfilled and purposeful lives.
A highly-paid corporate executive and communications consultant for global leaders including Nokia, Cisco and France Telecom, Yvonne eventually left her six-figure salary in corporate America to live her life purpose. She credits the Hawaiian principles of forgiveness, generosity and grace with helping her to achieve a healthy and vibrant life.
Yvonne’s unique approach combining intuition, healing and business savvy have made her an in-demand expert who helps busy, successful women connect deeper with their passion, power and purpose. As a coach and speaker, Yvonne often incorporates hula so participants experience how movement energizes the body and stimulates the mind. Yvonne is a Certified Hawaiian Shamanic Practitioner, hula instructor and dancer who has performed and competed on the mainland and in Hawai’i. She currently lives with her husband in Northern California.
