Marty Reichgut has been studying Tai Chi for thirteen years. For the last nine he’s studied with Grandmaster Aiping Cheng. He first became interested in Tai Chi on a trip to Shanghai, where he watched thousands of residents practicing every morning. He was intrigued by their skill and physical ability, regardless of age.

Marty, a physician, is convinced that this gentle form of exercise and moving meditation is an excellent way to improve strength, flexibility, coordination, concentration, and the management of stress. He believes in the importance Tai Chi places on balance in life, mind over matter, and going with the flow, concepts he has incorporated into his Urology practice over the years. As an instructor for Grandmaster Aiping Cheng, he has taught at the Center in Orange, adult education programs, local corporations, the West Haven VA Hospital, and the Guilford Senior Center.

Marty emphasizes both learning the movements and appreciating the health benefits. “Tai Chi not only benefits people physically,” he asserts, “it benefits them mentally and emotionally as well.” He cites a class of seniors who took two years to learn the 24 moves in the Twenty Four Form. “Their confidence and ability to remember things improved so much, that in the next eighteen months they learned the 108 moves of the Yang Long Form. They improved their ability to learn and perform at a stage in life that most refer to as the declining years. How inspiring is that?”

Marty teaches four Tai Chi classes for Grandmaster Aiping Cheng at the Guilford Senior Center. He teaches primarily Yang Style and Sun Style Tai Chi. He participates in the Tai Chi demonstrations , and won a gold medal for Group Sun Style in the 2002 New England International Chinese Martial Arts Championship.