Little changes can make a big difference.
Clarkston resident Osa Jackson Shulte, PhD, PT, GCFP/AT learned a long time ago that people have the ability to help themselves feel better, and most do not even realize it.
Osa has been a resident of Clarkston for the last five years with her husband Keith. Prior to moving to Clarkston, she owned her own physical therapy center and rehab center in Rochester for 10 years.
She earned her doctorate in educational gerontology from University of Michigan and works as a geriatric specialist in movement education. She was director of the physical therapy program at Oakland University from 1985 to 1992. Regardless if a person has lost mobility or strength due to injury or aging, she works with them to regain what was lost. Her interest in helping people is what caused her to take interest in a flyer she saw 27 years ago.
Osa was working in Washing DC at the time and took a road trip up to Massachusetts to see Dr. Moshe Feldenkrais. She recalls being drawn by his ideas immediately,
‘He said, ‘You can’t learn how to move unless you’re willing to sense it in your body, so you either have to imagine the movement or you have to do it.?? she said.
By simply imagining movements, Osa said she felt tension in her shoulder begin to relax, tension she didn’t even realize was there and had been accumulating since she broke her arm as a little girl.
Through further training, Osa said she learned about the unconscious patterns people develop over time. Osa said simple things like the way we sit, open a car door or ever fold our hands can have long-term effects on our muscles and our minds.
The Feldenkrais method works to break these patterns by helping people identify them, letting their own minds and bodies work through them.
‘It’s about learning and unlearning,? Osa said. ‘It’s about lifelong learning. Most of us think, ‘I’ve finished physical fitness, now it’s just doing what I already know how to do and just doing it slower, faster or more of it,?? she said, adding that many people are not even aware of the patterns they possess.
‘If you to say to a person, ‘you’re right handed? that’s a pattern they can recognize, but what about how you get into your car?? she said. ‘The minute you switch hands to do a task you realize, ‘Oh God, I do have a habit.??
Osa said a majority of people who come to her because of chronic pain often find their problem areas are the ones used more frequently in these unconscious patterns, which she said can cause them to unknowingly act out guarding actions.
‘The more you hurry, the more you use your automatic patterns. So if you have pain or you have headaches, slow down,? Osa said, adding that if people took a little more time to be self-aware they might recognize some of their own patterns.
‘You can’t edit something if you don’t look at it first,? she said.
Osa spoke at the Clarkston Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon in March and asked people to try simple things to demonstrate the unconscious patterns of our brains. She asked everyone to fold their fingers so the thumb that is normally on top is now second from the top.
A simple task, but one that causes your brain and body to take notice. A gesture that is normally done without a moment’s thought suddenly requires effort. Done on a large scale, Osa said exercises like these make the mind more aware of the details, and can not only the body help recover from injury, but engage creativity and gracefulness.
As a certified instructor, Osa travelsaround the country showing others the methods she learned. Whether they are individuals looking to improve their flexibility or physical therapists looking for new ways to help their patients, Osa helps large groups of people learn the Feldenkrais Method.
Though the methods may be unfamiliar to many people, those who know recommend them to others.
‘I have been intrigued by this subtle form of retraining the nervous system, which I recommend to patients whose movement has been restricted by injury, cerebral palsy, stroke, fibromyalgia or chronic pain,? said Andrew Weil, M.D, author of ‘Spontaneous Healing? said in a testimonial about the Feldenkrais method. ‘I find it to be much more useful than standard physical therapy.?
Three times a year, people come from all over the world to participate in international certification training, a session of which recently ended at Columbiere in Springfield Township. Osa ran classes and worked one-on-one with individuals during that time much like she does the rest of the year, when she runs a studio behind her home in Clarkston.
Regardless of age or body type, Osa shows people a way they can help themselves through the methods she uses to improve her own life.
‘This is about how to invite people to be the best they can be,? Osa said.
For more information on the Feldenkrais Method or to schedule a meeting, Osa can be contacted at 248-922-9234 or osajackson@hotmail.com.