Sifu Marie Favorito, based in Boston, MA, is an accomplished Tai Chi and Qigong instructor whose contributions extend well beyond teaching. She has collaborated with Harvard Medical School on scientific studies exploring the healing benefits of these practices, worked with veterans to manage Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder through Tai Chi and Qigong, and trained numerous individuals to become certified instructors in the Universal Healing Tao (UHT) system. As a gardener and tea enthusiast, Marie promotes a holistic approach to health by nurturing both the musculoskeletal and energetic systems.
Marie’s journey into energy work began in the 1980s when acupuncture sparked her curiosity. At a suggestion, she began taking Tai Chi lessons and was fortunate to learn initially from a senior UHT instructor and later directly from UHT founder Grandmaster Mantak Chia. Her passion for the healing arts led her to study a variety of modalities, including Taoist philosophy, alchemy, and other healing techniques within the UHT system, earning 14 advanced certifications. Expanding her repertoire, Marie trained in other Qigong styles and the Yang Style Tai Chi long form and sword with Master Wei Lun Huang, and later studied Sheng Zhen Qigong and meditation under Master Li Jun Feng.
As an early advocate of Eastern healing philosophies, Marie played a key role in developing a rigorous certification process for the UHT system with other UHT senior instructors and Master Huang’s lineage. In a recent interview, she highlighted the system’s structured approach to instructor certification. Candidates must practice for at least a year before entering the associate instructor training, with full instructors requiring at least double effort, knowledge, skills and time. Besides taking required training courses, certification process includes formal evaluations to ensure competence, contrasting sharply with other certification organizations that offer certifications after minimal training or online courses to anyone without prior knowledge. The UHT system covers a comprehensive range of practices, including Qigong exercises, meditation techniques, Inner Alchemy, and medical Qigong, each with specific certification criteria. For example, Iron Shirt Qigong certification requires the ability to sustain a 60-minute standing meditation.
At Grandmaster Chia’s request, Marie has traveled extensively to teach in Germany, Australia, Canada, the United States, and Thailand with Grandmaster Chia. Alongside fellow instructor Jamee Culbertson, she has collaborated with Drs. Peter Wayne and Gloria Yeh at Harvard Medical School on several clinical studies, including research on heart health. They are currently involved in the third phase of a study examining Tai Chi’s impact on cardiac patients. An earlier phase, published in October 2017, revealed that Tai Chi could be an effective alternative for patients unable or unwilling to participate in traditional cardiac rehabilitation programs. Marie and Jamee helped design the rehabilitation program and train participants, with results showing improvements in physical activity, weight, and quality of life. With the rise of online training, Tai Chi rehabilitation is now more accessible to patients worldwide.
In September 2023, I attended the first symposium on the holistic health benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong, sponsored by Harvard Medical School. After a data-rich day, a few attendees gathered at Marie and Jamee’s home for dinner. Over fine tea served in exquisite cups, we shared ideas and reflected, finding tranquility through conversation and mindful breathing.
During our interview, Marie stressed the importance of developing both the musculoskeletal and energetic systems for health and spiritual growth. She criticized the superficial approach of gym workouts, such as reading while walking on a treadmill, as insufficient for true health improvement. Instead, she advocated for a balanced mind-body approach, emphasizing the integration of the Yang aspects of the musculoskeletal system with the Yin qualities of the energetic system. Beyond cultivating internal energy, Marie encouraged connecting with the universal energies of nature—such as the Sun, Moon, trees, flowers, mountains, and water—to enhance well-being and harmony.