Patient Polar Bear Pose

Nov 09, 2018

Polar bears are big, white, smart and strong.

A grown male polar bear typically weighs between 800 and 1300 pounds.  A female polar bear is smaller and averages between 350 and 650 pounds.  Baby polar bears are just about one pound when they are born.

Polar bears have sharp senses and are intelligent too.  Scientists who study polar bears estimate their intelligence is on par with primates. They are considered to be the most intelligent North American land mammal.

Black skin and up to 4 inches of fat keep the bears warm. Their fur looks white but it is actually transparent just like the ice and snow they live in.

Polar bears prefer “still hunting.”  Rather than chase their single source of food – seals, they sit and wait. They are very patient and will sit for many hours and even days waiting for an ice seal to come up out of a breathing hole in the ice.

We can rest patiently like a polar bear.  Sit on your heels.  Make your knees wide and fold forward.  Keep your hips resting on your heels as you bring your chest and chin towards or onto the ground.  Polar bears are all white except for what? Their skin!  Black skin absorbs heat from the sun. A polar bear resting on the ice can camouflage itself so it looks like a snowdrift. It just has to cover its black nose. Place your palms out in front of your face on the floor to hide your black polar bear nose.  Be patient like a polar bear and rest here for a while feeling your breath and letting your body settle into the ground.

Even though polar bears live on ice, they can be prone to overheating.  When you are feeling hot -in your body or your mind -you can use the polar bear pose to cool down.

Did you know that you can help save polar bears AND stay healthy while doing it? Polar bears need sea ice to survive. Riding bikes instead of driving cars reduces carbon emissions – a main cause of disappearing sea ice. Polar Bears International has a fun community action toolkit for kids ages 11 – 18 years old. Check it out!