You’ll sweat in places you didn’t know existed. You might pass out. You’ll leave feeling accomplished. You’ll probably struggle the whole way through during your first class.

I’m talking of course about Bikram yoga, a fad that’s taken yoga mats by storm everywhere in the past couple of years. It’s also come with quite a bit of controversy and scrutiny.

Bikram yoga is characterized by the poses it incorporates, and the temperature they’re done at. Over the course of 90 minutes, 26 poses are done, and the room is heated anywhere between 100 and 107 degrees Fahrenheit. The instructor speaks the entire time—a Bikram studio is almost never silent. They’re speaking almost from script in order for people who are practicing to get away from their own thoughts, and focus on what they’re doing. It’s supposed to be a type of moving meditation.

Bikram Choudry, born in Calcutta, founded Bikram Yoga after the discipline helped him to recover from an injury. He is now 68 years old, and still practicing. Some say he is visionary, others aren’t so enthusiastic about him.

Very little official research has been done on the effects of Bikram Yoga, or hot yoga in general, but there are many opinions on whether or not it’s beneficial. In the end, it’s your choice. There are pros and cons to the Bikram method, as there are every single form of exercise, it’s up to you to decide what makes it worth it.

Pro: Your balance, strength, and muscle control will improve.

According to a study done by Dr. Brian L. Tracy, an exercise scientist at Colorado University, Bikram Yoga can show modest improvements in balance, strength, and muscle control. In the experiment that he did, healthy young adults enrolled in 24 Bikram sessions over the course of eight weeks. The participants had never done yoga before, and didn’t exercise regularly. Of the 26 poses done in class, balance plays a large part in many of them, and balance was the biggest improvement seen in Tracy’s experiment.

Con: You won’t exactly lose a lot of weight doing it.

For some, weight loss isn’t a factor for yoga. Others think that Bikram could be a great swap for cardio. As it turns out, the heart rates of people practicing Bikram were similar to those going for a brisk walk. But in class, it seems much, much harder. When you’re bent down, watching your knees sweat like you didn’t think possible, and gulping for air, it seems like Bikram is a much more intense workout than it actually is. In Tracy’s study, he found that participants only had a slight drop in body weight. Many participants feel like they leave the class thousands of calories lighter, but in reality it’s not many more than you would burn at a normal-temperature yoga class.

Pro: You will have increased flexibility because of the heated room.

In a heated room, blood flow increases because of the outside heat source. This eventually means that you will feel more flexible than you are without the heat. This can be good, because a deeper stretch often feels better, and who doesn’t like to accomplish something they usually can’t?

Con: The heat can make it harder to tell when to stop stretching.

Because the heat makes you feel more flexible, it’s important to know your limits and not stretch yourself to a hospital. Know your limits and only do what feels comfortable.

Pro: You will sweat like a dog, or four.

This might not be your idea of a good time, but there are a few benefits to becoming a smelly, sweaty mess. Sweating helps cool you down, and can help regulate your body temperature, an extremely important aspect in a Bikram class. Sweating can also help prevent kidney stones, because sweat contains sodium. Instead of excess sodium going into the kidneys to form stones, it comes out of your pores and onto your yoga mat.

Con: You’re not actually going to sweat out any toxins.

Almost every yoga teacher, gym owner, and trainer will tell you that you’ve got to get a good sweat going to release those toxins. While that isn’t completely a false statement, it’s not necessarily a main focus. Sweat releases a trace amount of toxins, but barely enough to say it counts. Sweat is 99 percent water, and its main job is to regulate the body’s temperature. The only real way to release toxins is through the liver and kidneys, which are their main functions. During a Bikram class where the air is so dense, the might actually hold onto water and toxins more because you’re forcing your body to continue to sweat through heat and mild exercise. If you don’t prepare for the class with enough water, the class could end up being less beneficial.

Pro: You will be prepared for a Bikram Class anywhere in the world.

A Bikram class in Rochester, New York is going to be (or is supposed to be) the same as a Bikram class in Phuket, Thailand. It’s the same 26 postures, same breathing exercises, same script from the teacher, and same heat. There are no surprises with Bikram, which can definitely be a pro. There will be no new poses that stump you at a new studio, and once you’ve done it once, you’ve done it all.

Con: The 26 poses in Bikram are all you will do.

For those that like change, Bikram might be a once a week, or once a month thing. The consistency from class to class appeals to some, but this also means that you will never stretch any muscle groups outside the 26 poses. They get pretty close to hitting all of them, but there are still many other poses that can be beneficial.

Pro: You will feel pretty great once you leave the studio.

Once you’ve packed up your yoga mat, analyzed how sweaty everything you’re wearing is, and finished off your water bottle, you’re going to realize that you feel pretty good. Bikram might not be the most intense cardio workout you can get, it might not release toxins, and it might not make you shed pounds, but it’s a gentle workout that can benefit the mind and body, no matter how long you can withstand the heat.