Baby Yoga Bear

There’s something unforgettable about spending time among Alaskan Brown Bears in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Hours would pass quietly as we watched mothers and their cubs grazing peacefully in the lush sedge grass along the shoreline.

But beneath that calm moment was a constant awareness. The large male bears, known as boars, lingered at a distance. Their presence carried risk, as they would sometimes target cubs to bring the females back into heat. Interestingly, they tended to avoid humans, and the mothers seemed to understand this.

In a way, we became an unexpected part of the landscape… a quiet safety buffer.

Because of that, the mothers allowed their cubs to rest, play, and feed nearby, never straying far from their watchful presence. When the cubs weren’t tumbling through the grass or nibbling at their surroundings, they would curl up for short naps beside her.

And when they woke… that’s when the magic happened.

One little cub rose from its rest, stretched its tiny body, and for a brief moment, looked as though it was striking a perfect pose just for us. I couldn’t help but smile—it instantly reminded me of the hamstring stretch my wife does in her yoga class.

A small, lighthearted moment in a wild and powerful place… and one I’ll never forget.

 -  Stan Masters

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