Rick Barrett was born in Franklin, Pennsylvania in 1951, the second of eight children to Dick and Phyllis Barrett. He has been studying Chinese internal martial arts for thirty-five years and teaching for twenty-five. He won several U.S. national championships in t'ai chi ch'uan push hands, plus the Unlimited weight class at the United World Kung-fu/ Wushu Championships in Orlando (1997). Besides t'ai chi, his internal martial arts include luoxuanzhang, xingyiquan, baguazhang, and yiquan. Rick practices Polarity Therapy and other forms of energy medicine at his Greenwich Village office in New York. In his healing practice he seeks to empower the individual to true healing: a return to wholeness and full participation in life.

At various times he can be found on the public tennis courts of Staten Island, walking his dog Faolan, or plugging in his Les Paul. His annual Tai Chi Alchemy retreat in Sedona, Arizona explores the possibilities of a Love-based Martial Art. For more information on programs, sessions, or to have Rick speak to your group, contact rb@rickbarrett.net and visit rickbarrett.net.