Qigong & Tai Chi with Dr. Larry Cammarata

Be still and calm your mind.

Relax and move your body.

Breathe slowly and uplift your mood. Smile.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

☯️ Dr. Cammarata will be teaching an in-person Tai Chi workshop in Asheville, NC on Saturday, January 25, 2025. For details, please click on this link: Asheville Tai Chi Workshop

INSTRUCTOR INFORMATION

Larry Cammarata, Ph.D. is an instructor of Tai Chi and Qigong. He has practiced these arts for over 30 years and has received training from many Chinese masters. Larry is also a Licensed Psychologist specializing in mindfulness-based coaching and education.  

He teaches mindfulness and mindful movement internationally with Mindfulness Travels. 

Larry has been a judge for national and international martial arts tournaments, where he evaluated Tai Chi performances. During December 2011, he was invited to participate in the First Health Qigong Seminar for International Instructors, an event that was hosted by the Chinese Health Qigong Association in Beijing, China. Larry is a member of the Certification Committee of Tai Chi Healthways, an organization founded and directed by world renowned Tai Chi Master and Qigong expert Dr. Jesse Tsao, with whom he has studied Traditional Yang and Chen Style Tai Chi as well as several Classical Qigong forms. Please click on: Tai Chi and Qigong photos for a brief photo essay.

QIGONG AND TAI CHI

For an educational article on the differences between Tai Chi and Qigong, please click on: Qigong and Taiji: What's The Difference?

Qigong (pronounced "Chee Gung") is a powerful ancient Chinese system of self-healing exercise and energy medicine. Through gentle meditative movement and breathing techniques, the practice of qigong supports cardiovascular health and immune system functioning, reduces pain, strengthens joints, and promotes relaxation of the body, calmness of mind, and the balancing of emotions. The ease of qigong makes it appropriate and accessible for people of all ages and levels of fitness. 

Tai Chi, formally referred to as Tai Chi Chuan or Taijiquan, is an ancient Chinese system of exercise, meditative movement, and self defense.  The slow, graceful movements of Tai Chi promote the physical qualities of strength, balance, and flexibility.  The mental qualities of patience, calmness, concentration, and stability are cultivated by practicing Tai Chi. The movements are designed to clear the blocked energy of the body, which is often experienced as muscular tension, fatigue, aches and pains, and stomach ailments.  Medical research reveals that the practice of Tai Chi can lower stress, enhance physical and psychological functioning, improve balance, and promote a general sense of well-being.

Our Qigong and Tai Chi classes and workshops offer you authentic teachings taught within a friendly, safe, supportive, and enjoyable atmosphere. We often say, “Let’s play Qigong and Tai Chi!”

QIGONG & TAIJI VIDEOS 

• Qigong & Taiji Warmup Exercises with Grand Master Chen Zhenglei

• Taiji Qigong 8 Form with Dr. Larry

• Wu Qin Xi (Five Animal Frolics Qiqong)

• Primordial Qigong

• Yi Jin Jing (Tendon & Muscle Strengthening Qigong)

• Yang Tai Chi Long Form Section 1: Slow + Fast Sets with Dr. Larry

• The Physiology of Tai Chi and Qigong

• Yang Style Tai Chi Walk with Master David Bao

• Tai Chi 24 Form with Master Faye Yip

• Tai Chi 24 Form with Posture Names and Narration

• Tai Chi 24 Form with Master Liang, Shou-Yu

• Tai Chi 24 Form with Sifu Zou Yunjian

• Tai Chi 24 Form (front view)

• Tai Chi 24 Form (posterior view)

• Tai Chi 24 Form Lesson with Master Tsao

• Tai Chi 10 Form with Dr. Larry

• Breathing Patterns in the Tai Chi 10 Form with Dr. Larry

• Tai Chi 10 Form with Master Faye Yip

• Chen Style Lao Jia Yi Lu (Old Frame, First Routine) with Grand Master Chen Zhenglei

• Chen Style Lao Jia Er Lu (Old Frame, Second Routine, Pao Chui/Cannon Fist) with Grand Master Chen Zhenglei

• Chen Style Taiji Straight Sword with Grand Master Chen Zhenglei

• Chen Style Taiji Straight Sword with Master Chen Bing

• Yang Long Form Section 2 Kicks with Dr. Larry

• Yang Tai Chi 85 (Long Form) by Master Fu Sheng Yuan

• Yang Tai Chi 85 (Long Form) by Master James Fu (Fu Qing Quan)

• Yang Tai Chi 85 (Long Form back view) by Master Zhao Youbin

• Yang Tai Chi 103 (Long Form) by Master Yang Jun

• Principles of Yang Tai Chi by Master Yang Jun

WRITTEN RESOURCES

• Eight Tai Chi Teaching Guidelines by Dr. Larry
  This brief article will give you a sense of the values and principles that guide our classes.

• Qigong and Taiji: What’s the Difference? by Dr. Larry This brief article provides definitions and descriptions of the practices of Qigong and Taiji.

• Simplified Tai Chi 24 Guide & Postures
  Here is a definitive guide to the Simplified Tai Chi 24 Form—with posture names—by the Deyin Taijiquan Institute.

• Yang Long Form Postures
  Here is an authoritative listing of the posture names by the Yang family.

• Tai Chi Healthways: Master Jesse Tsao
  Here you will find many excellent Qigong & Tai Chi instructional videos and more.

• Cloud Hands: T'ai Chi Ch'uan and Chi Kung Website
  This is an extremely comprehensive resource for Qigong & Tai Chi information.

• International Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan Association
  This is the official website of the Yang family.

• World Yongnian Tai Chi Federation
  Authentic Yang Tai Chi in the tradition of Fu Zhongwen

• Yang Cheng Fu’s Ten Principles on Tai Chi Chuan
  This is a classic teaching on Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan.

• National Qigong Association
  This is a membership organization and resource for Qigong practitioners.

• The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing by Ken Cohen
  This book provides an excellent introduction to Qigong.

• Breathing Practices by Roger Jahnke, OMD

• Simplified Tai Chi Chuan: 24 Postures with Applications & Standard 48 Postures (Revised) by Shou-Yu Liang & Wu Wen-Ching
  This is an excellent book for practitioners of the Tai Chi 24 and Tai Chi 48 Forms.

• Tàijíquán by Li Deyin This book covers 5 standardized Taiji forms, including 24-Step Tàijíquán, and is written by a world-renowned authority who was my teacher’s teacher in China.

• Training Principles of Chen’s Taichi by Grand Master Chen Zhenglei
  This is a resource for Chen Style Tai Chi players, as taught by a 19th generation lineage holder of Chen Tai Chi.

• A Comprehensive Review of Health Benefits of Qigong and Tai Chi
  The title of this peer-reviewed scholarly article says it all.

• Tai Chi: What You Need To Know
  This is an overview of Tai Chi by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, one of the centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Qigong: What You Need To Know
  This is an overview of Qigong by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, one of the centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

• Tai Ji Quan: An overview of its history, health benefits, and cultural value - ScienceDirect

• The Health Benefits of Tai Chi
  From Harvard Health, this is a good orientation that can be applied to Qigong as well as Tai Chi.

• Qigong Training Theory
  This is a brief overview by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming.

• Tai Chi and Chronic Pain

• Determining the safety and effectiveness of Tai Chi: a critical overview of 210 systematic reviews of controlled clinical trials

TESTIMONIALS

"Since I started attending Larry Cammarata’s Qigong class several months ago the following transformation in my life has occurred. I first attended for the intention of stress relief after my daughter was diagnosed with cancer. The practice allowed me to be calm, less stressed and I began to lose weight. The more mindful I became about my life in general had a profound impact on all aspects of my life. My eating habits changed providing a healthy weight loss. Interactions with other people changed as well. I believe QIgong has made way for me to be a more aware human being. Qigong practice works.”  —V. L.

“I know that in this stage of my life learning comes slowly but I am grateful that you are willing to to help me learn.Thank you for your instructions and your patience. Little by little I find I am getting just a bit better and I intend to hang in there until I get it about right. I feel I am gaining with each week.”

—P.W., Tai Chi student, age 80