“I thoroughly enjoyed my new experience when I attended the Silk Reeling Chan Si Gong course.  I have always tried to keep fit by attending the gym three to four times a week.  Recently though, I was finding the exercise at the gym was not assisting my flexibility and was in fact causing me some pain in my joints, particularly in my hands, shoulders and elbows.  I was looking for some sort of exercise that would assist me with my flexibility and general health.  I found the gentle Silk Reeling exercises caused me no pain and in fact the increased flexibility has improved my golf game!  I also find I am more capable of relaxing.”
– Mark, Retail Worker

“The Hun Yuan Silk Reeling course was an excellent way of consolidating my practice of this wonderful movement set.  These exercises gave me a deeper insight into the origin of the forces from the Dan Tian, the foundation strength from the legs and the subtle spiralling of the body and arms.  All of these factors combine to make my practice of Tai Chi more effective, relaxed and enjoyable.

The Silk Reeling movements improve joint mobility, muscle strength and joint conditioning.

I believe that the exercises also improve your ability to practise the Hun Yuan form and to engage in
day-to-day living with more ease and efficiency.  An excellent wholistic set of exercises to practise every day to optimise your health, both mind and body.”
–  David, Physiotherapist

“The Chan Si Gong exercises are of great benefit for developing flexibility and strength.  The exercises enable the body to be trained and if regularly performed over a period of time, give maximum benefit.  I have been attending classes for the past two years, twice per week.

I have had two major operations on my back which had resulted in substantial residual side effects.  However, the Chan Si Gong exercises and regular attendance at classes enable me to derive enormous benefits for the time devoted to it.  I do approximately fifteen minutes of the Chan Si Gong exercises each day as well as additional practice of the Tai Chi form.

The benefits accumulated over time have enabled me to live my life without having to rely on pain killers and I have been able to resume bike riding as well.  I have flexibility and freedom of movement that would not have been possible without participation in the Tai Chi classes.”
– Michael, Public Servant

“The Silk Reeling Chan Si Gong course I recently completed with Fontane was a totally liberating experience.  Over the past five years, arthritis has crept into my joints causing stiffness and loss of flexibility.  Only two weeks into doing the Silk Reeling exercise, I was encouraged by the changes beginning to happen.  Sure stiffness occurred, as Fontane had warned us, but this time it was muscular, and looseness in the joints was already becoming apparent.  In particular, the shoulder, neck and upper back began to open up and at last I felt what it meant to ‘engage the back’.

Now I am enjoying improved freedom of movement and flexibility in the waist, spine and upper body, complemented with greater strength in the legs and hips.  Understanding the importance of separating waist and hip movements and using the waist to direct each movement is one thing,
feeling it gives a whole new dimension to practice!

I highly recommend Silk Reeling Chan Si Gong, for achieving higher levels of Tai Chi practice and fitness, resulting in better health and well-being.”
–  Loretta

“I am a life-long arthritis sufferer, and as a truck driver, I found it difficult to maintain a sensible work-exercise balance.  I was on quite heavy medication for pain relief and inflammation control for many years.  At the suggestion of my rheumatologist and physiotherapist, I started Tai Chi.  After a few semesters, I found I no longer needed medication.  I had much greater mobility and a lot less pain.  In particular, the Silk Reeling exercises were of great benefit.  Once I got the hang of them, I found they took up no space at all in my suitcase!  I’ve still got arthritis, of course, but it no longer plays the huge role that it used to.”
–  Rodger, Truck Driver

“My balance has improved (important for all of us as we add on the years), my joints are moving more easily and smoothly and, probably the best and most important aspect of all, I am experiencing an increasing loosening of my waist.  I mention the waist because I have struggled with ‘getting it right’ – ‘getting it to drive the action’ – since taking up Tai Chi.  I am not claiming to be there yet, but I am moving along the track.

The other very noticeable change has been in my shoulder joints.  I thought that after years of those swinging arm and waist turning warm-up exercises, I had achieved a respectable level of freedom in those joints.  Within a few weeks of incorporating the Silk Reeling exercises, I found a whole newness to the meaning of freedom.  It was quite a revelation to find the degree of improvement I had yet to discover.

I continue to pluck out different sets of the eighteen to practise and so I give a focus to loosening and oiling different parts of the creaking frame.”
– Nicole, IT Consultant

“Having completed two terms of the Silk Reeling Course, I’m delighted by the tremendous relief I’ve experienced, particularly in my shoulders, which were my main areas of concern. Moreover, my understanding of how the body moves in the Tai Chi form has vastly improved (although my body doesn’t express it all the time yet).

The way that Fontane taught has been inspiring. While embarking on the course for the second time, I anticipated a familiar routine but Fontane surprised us by introducing new exercises aimed at enhancing body awareness and joint coordination in silk reeling movements. I’ll be doing the course again and eager to discover what Fontane has in store this time!

After each lesson, I always felt more limber and relaxed. Learning from Fontane has been a rewarding experience. Zoom serves as an excellent medium for learning these movements. Fontane’s willingness to demonstrate intricate details up close through the webcam adds a new dimension to our virtual lessons.”
– Tom

“During the recent eight weeks Zoom program, I began to experience a feeling of fluidity and smoothness in my movements. It is a liberating, enjoyable feeling.

Having Fontane demonstrate, teach, zero in on our performances and guide us individually during each Wednesday session seems to me to be an ideal way of learning.

When Fontane applies Silk Reeling to particular Tai Chi movements, it really begins to click as we follow her.”
– Bernadette

“I gained a set of movements that are short and easy to do individually or as a form. I have completed the Silk Reeling before as a short course but the beauty of the Zoom version over eight weeks was the careful breaking down of and correction of movements and opportunity to receive one-to-one observations and guidance from Fontane. This helped me learn the moves correctly, catch onto my habitual bad habits that hold back and improve.

One high point was learning a new way to get into one of our regular moves. I was able to see and feel where I was taking shortcuts and change these habits to achieve flow and completion of the movement. I saw how my hands and arms had been leading many movements and feel like I am now moving better from my body centre. This in turn helps me to feel groundedness.”
– Robyn, part time analyst

“I really enjoyed the 8 week Silk Reeling Course. By taking it slowly, exercises were related to where that movement appears in the form. The continual circling I have been hearing about for so long became easier to understand and achieve (sometimes).”
– Laurelle

“I have found the Silk Reeling Course very beneficial for improving my Tai Chi form, understanding how the silk reeling integrates into the movements in the form and helping with becoming more relaxed in my movements. It has also helped with learning to loosen my joints and coordination. I highly recommend this course if you want a greater understanding of the subtleties of the movements in the Tai Chi form or just to learn how to relax and loosen the various joints in the body.”
– Anthony