For many people, taking a high-intensity 90 minute bikram yoga class in 105 degree heat does not sound very appealing.

The real appeal lies in the numerous health benefits that bikram yoga advertises including cleansing and detoxification of the body, increased flexibility, weight loss and above all, a good workout.

Despite these claims, recent studies have shown that the positive health effects may be over exaggerated and that bikram yoga does not burn as many calories or flush as many toxins as yoga gurus would boast.

So what does bikram yoga really do?

I cannot speak from a science perspective, but I can testify that bikram yoga is indeed a killer workout. However, I feel that it does not completely live up to its lofty health claims.

Bikram yoga consists of a series of 26 poses in 90 minutes, with the first 45 minutes spent doing standing poses and the last 45 minutes spent doing a floor series. Each pose is repeated (often numerous times) for optimal results.

My parents first discovered bikram yoga a few years ago and argued that it was the best workout they had ever had. According to them, its emphasis on flexibility would be perfect for me, a dancer.

At first, I adamantly refused to try the class on the basis that I have a low heat tolerance, and therefore, spending 90 minutes in 105 degrees would be a disaster for me.

A year later, however, I finally consented to try a class with my dad. I went into the class extremely apprehensive of what was to come. I admit I planned on breaking the rules and leaving if I didn’t think I could stay in the heat.

Luckily, I surprised myself. While the heat that I had feared left me in a pool of sweat, I was able to work through it without much difficulty. Furthermore, I felt more stretched out than I usually do at my dance studio because stretching in the heat had enabled my muscles to warm up faster and stretch past their normal capacity.

When I left the studio, my skin felt clearer and fresher. While I’m positive I didn’t look or smell fresh, I  felt “detoxified”. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel that way for more than a few hours after the class.

While bikram yoga is a workout, I don’t feel that it is the best workout I’ve ever had. For me, a hard workout is one that leaves me so out of breath that I can’t continue. Bikram yoga offers a more paced and controlled workout which did prove to be a nice alternative for me.

During the class, I felt slightly more flexible, but I did not feel any more stretched out the next day. Even after taking more classes, I still did not notice a change.

When I look at the claims and studies done on bikram yoga, I think that bikram yoga’s effects lie in between the high claims of yoga fanatics and the negating statements of professors; bikram yoga is a great workout, but not a miracle one.