Yoga Bear

It's yoga bear: Supple Santra has more keep-fit moves than the average bear

By Daily Mail Reporter

Last updated at 11:31 AM on 15th September 2010

If you're in a sedentary job, or cooped up in a confined space for some other reason, it's a good idea to do a little stretching  now and then to keep the muscles supple. 

This 'housebound' creature seems to know that better than most: She's more yoga bear than Yogi Bear.

The flexible brown bear looks like she has taken a few lessons in the traditional meditation exercise as she shows off her skills.

Some invigorating early morning stretching exercises make the ideal start to a day of...whatever it is bears do

Somewhere between the 'Happy baby' and 'Boat' poses, this excellent workout for extending the hamstrings should probably now be called 'Bear Pose'

The bear, called Santra, had just woken from a nap when she sat down and went into a 15 minute yoga routine, reaching out to bend her legs into painful-looking positions.

She even managed to balance serenely on her bottom and pull her furry legs up around her ears in her spectacular show.

She stretched each leg separately, pulling them skywards with her large paw, before lifting both at the same time to create a V-shape.

And like any good yoga devotee, she kept her eyes calmly focused as she perfected her moves, flexing her toes to make the stretch even more difficult.

..and it's important too for the dedicated yoga practitioner to take a break between stretches

The adult bear entertained crowds at the Ahtari Zoo in Finland, who watched her yoga routine with amazement.

The hilarious display was captured on camera by visitor Meta Penca, a 29-year-old web programmer from Slovenia.

Miss Penca said: 'She seemed as if she was stretching for at least 15 minutes.'

'She held her legs with her hands for a minute or two in a V position and then put them down and relaxed.'

Santra makes it all look so easy