I knew a charming lady a while back who told me that when she quit drinking and started yoga (in her forties,) she could even touch her toes. When I knew her, she could put her heels behind her head without breaking a sweat.
I know what you’re thinking, and no, I didn’t know her that well. 
Correction:
“she couldn’t even touch her toes” NOT could.
I don’t do yoga. My knees are trashed.
I haven’t actually done Yoga, but between gymnastics and martial arts I picked up a set of exercises that I do that aren’t all that different. Flexibility makes a big difference in how you move and how you feel about moving, and Yoga postures almost certainly make you use strength over your full range of motion, which increases both your ability to apply strength and gives you better control in any position.
If you have tight hamstrings, that’s a sign that you probably need something like Yoga. I’d say, definitely try it. Give it at least 6-8 weeks though, because I doubt you’ll see big changes in flexibility in less time than that. When I got back into exercising again after a couple of years hiatus, it took about a month of almost daily stretching for things to loosen up again to the point where my routine felt kind of good instead of like scraping rust off my joints and tendons. You’re probably going to need some patience, especially if you haven’t ever done any serious stretching before.
Yoga is both enjoyable and relaxing. I know some people in my town have problems with the Hindu roots and have stopped allowing yoga at their churches. That is wrong IMHO. Doing it in ones living room with a DVD is just not the same. I say, go for it if you are lucky enough to have the opportunity of a good class.
Good lord, people are stupid.
Tell me about it. I really enjoyed yoga at the church before they ended it. You don’t have to do meditational exercises to benefit from it. Of course, if someone does wish to enjoy the spiritual side of yoga, that is okay too IMHO!