Berachot Over Tallith Katan and Tallith Gadol

With H-shem's help, we have begun learning Hilchot Tzitzit with the Ben Ish Chai, Hacham Yosef Hayyim of Baghdad. The sefer is translated by Shmuel Hiley and published by Yeshivath Ahavath Shalom Publications in Jerusalem 5765/2005. He calls the names of the Chapters by the names of Parashiot, so instead of Chapter One, the first chapter is called Parashath Bereshith, Laws of Ziziyoth. Please note these are for learning purposes only.  For the halacha lemaaseh, i.e. for what to do yourself please ask your own Rav.  

Parashath Bereshith, Laws of Ziziyoth, Page 6

6. The berachah over both the tallith gadhol and the tallith qatan should be recited whilst standing.

The custom of our teacher, the Ari z'l, was to wrap his head in the tallith qatan first, and only after that to put it on as he usually wore it.  For that reason, he used to recite the berachah 'lehithattef' over the tallith qatan as well as over the tallith gadhol.  This is a good custom to follow but, if one does not wrap one's head in the tallith qatan as the Ari z'l did, one should recite the berachah 'al mizwath zizith, ' and not 'lehithattef bezizith.'

This learning should be in memory of Maran, HaRav HaGaon Ovadia Yosef, ztz'l.