Notes on Practise — with Shkar Sharif

For this episode of Notes on Practise, I step away from martial mechanics and combat training to talk about liminality, high strangeness, and the strange atmosphere that sometimes surrounds inner practise.

Not in the sensationalised internet sense o... more

Most people believe that time spent training automatically leads to transformation. But years of practise do not necessarily change a person.

In this episode I reflect on why some people are deeply reshaped through martial arts and cultivation work ... more

Why is it that martial arts training and spiritual practice so often lead into each other?

On the surface, they seem completely opposed. One is physical, confrontational, rooted in pressure. The other is often associated with stillness, reflection, ... more

In this episode of Notes on Practise, I explain how I teach Qigong and the internal arts, the influences that shaped my approach, and why I always bring the practice back to the body.

I talk about the White Crane lineage methods I teach, including s... more

In this episode of Notes on Practise, I explore the difference between what a teacher can guide and what must be discovered alone. Using the stages of Western alchemy — nigredo, albedo, citrinitas, and rubedo — we look at the process of psychological... more

In this episode of Notes on Practise, I explore how traditional Kung Fu systems were actually taught — particularly in Southern China — and why training often begins with conditioning and forms rather than immediate fighting techniques.Historically, ... more

In this episode of Notes on Practise, I reflect on walking without destination and what begins to change when attention is no longer shaped by efficiency.

Drawing on decades of living in central London — and the stillness of the lockdowns — this is ... more

White Crane Kung Fu is often treated as a single, unified system. In practice, there are several distinct flavours, each emphasising different qualities — technical precision, softer internal work, or clearer links to earlier ancestor arts.

In this ... more