If you're a guy and mention to your friends that you're thinking about starting yoga, you may get some strange looks.

Many men consider yoga an activity geared more toward females who, let's face it, are more often than not, just slightly more flexible.

More and more, though, men are grabbing their mats and learning to move their bodies in a healthy manner.

"Yoga was for men in India, initially," says Marietta Pucillo of Yama Yoga Studio. "It was derived by Hindu monks as a way for toning the body and calming the mind for meditation. It's become something different in the United States but it's definitely something men shouldn't fear.

"A lot of men are starting to realize, especially when they see professional athletes doing yoga for cross-training, its a vital way to keep healthy."

At Yama Yoga, 318 E. Buffalo St., Pucillo teaches a class called "Stiff Guys Yoga." It isn't solely for men, she says but it is for people who are "stiff like a guy."

The course has evolved since beginning six years ago. Focusing predominantly on range of motion and flexibility issues, Pucillo breaks down each pose and utilizes props to make it easier for students to learn the different postures and techniques.

Men, especially, benefit from the break-it-down approach.

Most guys, Pucillo says, carry tension in their shoulder blades and hamstrings. After a few courses, many of her male students are amazed at how different they feel, just by opening up those two areas of the body.

"I had one student who had to keep adjusting the mirrors of his car," Pucillo says. "He had been slouched over for so long and he didn't really realize it."

The course's goal is to alleviate the stress and pressure put on the body by mundane, everyday tasks. Most of her male students can't touch their toes when they begin the class, though Pucillo says that's something of an overrated ability.

"I don't know anything that you can't bend your knees to do," says Pucillo. "Touching your toes isn't the top priority here, it's more like feeling like your body is in better alignment and that you have more flexibility in the shoulder blades and don't feel like your back is sore all the time."

Mike Draeger started yoga classes about a year ago. He started the classes to try something different and with a fitness center right around the corner, it was convenient to attend a few weekly sessions right after work.

Admittedly out-of-shape then, the classes have helped him in his workouts and with daily life.

"I'm more fit and can work out for longer," Draeger says. "I'm much more relaxed and my muscles are no longer stiff in the morning."

That's just one of the benefits, though. Yoga also teaches proper breathing and is intended to help clear the mind and focus. Pucillo's course touches on all these concepts.

"We do some breathing, some meditation and some breaking down the postures," Pucillo says. "But apart from helping you gain flexibility and mobility and maybe heal some injuries you've had for years, it helps you learn how to breathe and how to quiet your mind a bit and find some relaxation."

Many area fitness clubs, yoga studios and the YMCA also offer classes -- including sessions for beginners. Yama Yoga has a four-week beginner program as well as the twice-weekly "Stiff Guys" course.