It’s one of those days when the crowds feel crowdier, traffic more congested and the city generally stuffier and noisier than usual. You feel you need to get out, to breath, to move and let out some steam by wrestling a bear.
Why not do just that? Well, not wrestle a bear but get out and get primal? In one of my earlier posts I talked about just doing a nature walkout inspired by MovNat workouts and discovering your inner child. Get back to nature and make it your own personal playground.
Climb trees, do a tiger crawl and pretend you are an Olympian god and hurl your wrath (rocks) at petty humans (tree stumps). I did that on one afternoon by myself and had a blast.

For the sceptics among you there is scientific proof about the benefits of getting some downtime with Mother Nature, being playful and going all out like kids again.
A collaborative study conducted by the College of Architecture of Texas A & M University and the Department of Psychology of the University of Delaware have shown that contact with natural outdoor settings mitigate or alleviate stress response. Even just seeing pictures of nature have a calming effect.
Many psychologists like Stuart Brown have advocated the cognitive and creative benefits of play. In his book 'Play: How It Shapes the Brain, Opens the Imagination, and Invigorates the Soul' Brown argues that play is important for our health as it breaks up rigid patterns and taps into our metal as well as physical creativity.
MovNat events like Oki Alexander's Primal Fitness Workshop bring play and nature together. Discover and experiment how to move naturally in a a fun and outdoor environment.

When: 19. - 21. April
Where: Moganshan (ca. 2.5 hours drive from Shanghai)
You will be staying at the Shambhala Retreat which balances quirky Tibetan quaintness and contemporary Zen.
And BIG bonus: The workshop group gets its own Paleo chef!!!
Eat, play and be merry!
For more info see MovNat Shanghai's event page.