Mountain Sangha: Hot Yoga, Pilates, and Breathwork on Highway 9
Shanon Farney arrived for her first Hot Pilates class believing she was walking into yoga.
The mistake changed considerably more than her workout. Shanon had rediscovered yoga in 2018 during a period of personal change, and Hot Pilates gave her a combination of challenge, balance and connection she hadn't expected to find. Eventually, the woman who had spent 20 years in a corporate career left that work, trained as an instructor and helped create a studio in the town where she was raising her children.
Mountain Sangha opened in October 2023, in the Boulder Creek building known as The Barn. At its founding, Shanon worked alongside fellow Boulder Creek resident Charmaine BuenoDeVivo, a mindful-movement instructor and nutritionist. A mural by local artist Rachel Bollengier became part of the space.
Today, the schedule extends well beyond the Hot Pilates class that first drew Shanon in. Mountain Sangha offers heated and gentle yoga, mat-based Pilates, strength classes, breathwork, sound sessions and other small-group offerings. The studio posts a 6 a.m. weekday opening, early enough for people trying to fit movement around commutes, school mornings and everything else a mountain household needs before breakfast. The class schedule is what actually controls access, so check it before setting an alarm.
The word sangha means community. Shanon chose it for a studio built around small group classes in Boulder Creek.
The studio is one of two Pilates businesses in Boulder Creek, but they do different work. Treetop Pilates centers classical apparatus instruction. Mountain Sangha's Pilates classes are mat-based and often heated, surrounded by a wider schedule of yoga, strength, breathwork and sound.
The classes
The schedule sorts into five kinds of class:
- Hot yoga: Hot 26 Vibes and hot flow, in the heated room.
- Unheated yoga: mixed flow, slow flow, gentle flow, yin and restorative.
- Strength: mat-based Hot Pilates, HIIT, a sculpt series, and 75-minute combination classes pairing Pilates or HIIT with a yoga stretch.
- Beginners: a yoga stretch class and a beginner Pilates class as the on-ramp.
- Sangha Specials: breathwork with Tamar Frey and Jenn Hicklin, sound baths with Sera Timms, and a women's circle.
Private sessions run alongside the group schedule, including private sound healing and breathwork, and the studio rents its space for events and parties.
Space is limited and booking is online, so reserve a spot before you drive over rather than turning up on spec. The schedule and booking run through the studio's site.
Who's teaching
Farney is an RYT-200 registered yoga teacher, a certified Hot Pilates teacher, and a breathwork facilitator coach.
Farney has assembled instructors with backgrounds that extend beyond standard hot-yoga classes: Laura Walker teaches dance and yoga and came to it after a maritime conservation career; Claire Ogilvie has taught since 2022 and also works in breathwork and sound; Laura Manley is a Vinyasa teacher with a dance background who the studio notes is one of just a few certified Modo hot yoga teachers in Northern California; and Tamar Frey and Jenn Hicklin carry the breathwork, reiki, and ceremony side of the schedule.
What it costs
The menu below was checked September 3, 2026. Read the terms before buying: the six-month auto-bill plans allow no cancellation or refunds, and the semiannual and annual passes are prepaid and non-refundable. The intro month and Wednesday rate require less commitment.
Private sessions, small-group sessions and studio rentals run alongside the class schedule. The available single sessions and packages are listed below.
Hours and where it is
The studio is at 12788 Highway 9, Suite 1, at the south end of the business stretch. Posted hours run 6 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekends, but in practice the class schedule controls access, so book rather than drop by. Phone is 831-217-3018, email hello@mountainsangha.com.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Mountain Sangha?
12788 Highway 9, Suite 1, Boulder Creek, CA 95006, a short walk south of downtown.
Do I need to book ahead?
Yes. Space is limited and booking runs online through the studio's site. Don't turn up on spec.
How much is a class?
$25 drop-in, $15 on Wednesdays, and a $100 intro month if you're new. Passes and memberships bring the per-class cost down from there.
Is the room hot?
The hot classes are heated, and the schedule also carries gentle, yin, and restorative classes that aren't about the heat. Check the class description when you book.
What's a sound bath?
A session where you lie down and the sound of instruments does the work, no poses involved. The studio runs them as scheduled sessions and private bookings.
Is there parking?
It's a Highway 9 storefront with the parking situation that implies. Give yourself a few minutes before class.
Classes, hours, and prices change with the season, so confirm with the studio before you plan around them.
The class schedule changes seasonally, so the studio's own booking page is the one to trust. Gyms and fitness near Boulder Creek has the other options in town. Corrections are welcome at the contact page.
