There’s an outdated stigma that says for some men yoga is a bit too… well, girly. But it’s a reputation that yoga is fast shaking off as the gender imbalance evens out. More men than ever are throwing (or rather, flowing) poses in yoga classes.

“I’ve been teaching for seven years now,” says yoga teacher Chris Magee. “The demographic you used to see was 95% women. In the last two or three years, it’s more like a 60/40 split. We’re getting a lot more men coming in and recognizing the benefits from yoga practice.”

Those benefits are both mental and physical – as good for the ol’ zen as it is for cardiovascular health. And men might be surprised to find that yoga perfectly complements other sporting activities.

“Yoga helps to rebalance stuff,” says Chris. “If you’re doing a lot of weight training, or sports-specific training, your body is probably very tight. Yoga is an opportunity to bring back the flexibility, and work on joint health and longevity. A couple of years back, some footballers, including Ryan Giggs, said yoga helped them play an extra five years after they thought their careers were done.

“But it’s also about mindfulness and headspace. People enter that flow space and get into the zone. They’re not thinking about anything else, just their breathing and putting one foot in front of the other. They get the stretchy and sweaty part of the practice, but also feel the mental relief.”

So how does a novice get started with yoga? How do you tell your Vinyasas from Hathas? Or your pigeons from your downward facing dogs? And what are the specific benefits of each yoga practice? To find the best yoga class for your needs, our experts talk us through seven different styles for men to try. Grab your yoga pants.

Beginners’ Yoga

What Is It? The clue’s in the name, though you might find these classes are called fundamental, foundation, or beginner’s flow. Either way, it’s an introduction class.