Pinehas Nakaziko
Windhoek-Massage therapy is mainly described as a physical manipulation of soft body tissue (muscle, connective tissue, tendons and ligaments) to enhance a person’s health and well-being.
Nangula Uiras (30) is a local professional masseuse who owns and operates from Holistic Movement, situated in Sinclair Street in the city. The massage therapist has been in the industry for almost eight years now, and since 2008 has trained at various institutions such as Anicca Relaxation Training Academy, Traditional Thai Massage (Northern Thai Style), Indian Head Massage and Thai Foot Flex and at the Swedish-Deep Tissue Massage.
Entertainment Now caught up with Uiras who speaks about the work satisfaction she receives from being a masseuse, and the industry at large.
EN: What is your personal vision for yourself in the profession?
NU: I would love to venture more into training, which in my way would be giving all the skills I have learnt and accumulated throughout my years of practice back to the community. And continue learning more about self-development.
EN: What type of massage techniques do you enjoy the most?
NU: I love Traditional Thai massage, even though it is not a very popular massage in Windhoek. Traditional Thai massage uses no oils or lotions. The recipient remains clothed during a treatment. There is constant body contact between the giver and receiver, but rather than rubbing on muscles, the body is compressed, pulled, stretched and rocked. The recipient wears loose, comfortable clothing and lies on a mat or firm mattress on the floor. The receiver will be positioned in a variety of yoga-like positions during the course of the massage that is also combined with deep static and rhythmic pressures.
EN: What inspired you to go into massage therapy?
NU: Massage was a profession I fell into…It was not something I wanted or even thought about pursuing as a career. I was first introduced to massage by my life skills teacher from high school, Audrelin Nuses. She had just opened up a spa and since we were very close, she asked if I would like to try it out and she would train me. So I literally fell into the profession and never looked back.
EN: What type of clientele do you like to work with?
NU: I work with all types of people. I don’t have a specific type, although I tend to mostly work with stressed people.
EN: What is your philosophy about healing?
NU: Whenever we look at healing, we have to address the root cause of an aspect instead of working from just the surface. My healing philosophy is rooted in my philosophy of life, which can be distilled into the simple precepts of interconnectedness and love. Modern life and modern medicine have become increasingly fragmented, but the truth is that we cannot heal without becoming whole.
To become whole requires looking deeply and honestly at all aspects of our lives, taking into account our physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
To heal, we must learn to love ourselves. We must also discover what enlivens us and what makes life worth living. I believe that the true essence of healing is to thrive, not merely survive. When we live in accordance with our unique self-expression, we naturally nourish our Life Force, and as a result, we become whole and healthy.
EN! Do you feel you have a role in the healing of your clients?
NU: I believe massage has a part to play in the bigger spectrum of things. Massage acts more like a helping aid to see some part of the underlining issue, but does not deal with the root cause. It just lightens the load and helps bring awareness to the client, about the need to look at a holistic approach of tackling any alignment they might have.
EN: Can you please describe your ideal work environment?
My ideal work environment would be what am already doing now, plus adding an assistant and becoming involved in more training opportunities.
EN: Do you participate in any association activities?
NU: Yes, I’ve had a couple of corporate institutions I have worked with.
EN: What is your vision for yourself in the future with massage therapy?
Training more people as a way of giving back what I have learnt.
EN: Do you think massage school has prepared you to work here?
NU: School has given me all the basic tools and the foundation I needed to start off my career, but a great deal comes from practice, exposure, constantly putting yourself out there and being open to learning and trying new things.
EN: Do you have a private practice?
NU: Yes, but at the moment I work on my own from home.
EN: What makes you uncomfortable in a massage session?
NU: I honestly cannot think of something at the moment, because you become so used to working with people. You learn how to become tolerant, and you mature over the years. The things that used to upset me when I started don’t anymore.