Our Teachers

All of our yoga therapists have two important things in common:

A desire to help people overcome pain

Special training (1,000+ hours) in yoga therapy for pain

We are knowledgeable in both yoga and the neuroscience of pain, and committed to our students, clients, community, and, we're hoping -- you! We cannot wait to meet you to help you resolve your unique struggle with pain and are honored to be part of that journey with you.

Our Story

Pain Care Collective was born out of an epidemic, a pandemic, a common belief in the healing power of yoga, and a passion for helping people overcome pain.

Co-founders Diane, Michelle, and Rachel live in cities across the country (Philadelphia, Durango, and Austin, respectively), and first crossed paths by way of a yoga therapy training. Our exposure to the devastating effects of the chronic pain epidemic and the resulting opioid crisis led us all to seek certification in Pain Care Yoga, learning the science of pain and how yoga can be used to change it.

Inspired, each of us took the teachings home to our classes and private clients and were encouraged to see the difference that Pain Care Yoga made in the lives of our students suffering from persistent pain.

In 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the country, it became apparent that we would need to move online in order to continue supporting our students. Then the epiphany hit-- moving online would allow us to serve people beyond our immediate physical communities. Not only that, an online format would take away many of the barriers that people living with persistent pain face in accessing yoga therapy: proximity to a yoga therapist, the time and energy required to travel to and from the class, and the need to keep to an exact schedule.

This exciting idea drew the three of us back together, albeit over Zoom calls this time, and the result was Pain Care Collective, the first online yoga therapy studio dedicated specifically to Pain Care Yoga. Today we are proud to offer online classes that are rooted in the timeless tradition of yoga and informed by modern neuroscience.

Meet the Founders

Rachel Breeding, C-IAYT

Rachel has loved to move since she was a child playing sports, and this is what led her to begin teaching yoga in 2009. With a desire to go beyond yoga as a workout and toward yoga as a healing modality, she began to study with Inner Peace Yoga Therapy, completing her yoga therapist certification in 2019. When she was introduced to the work of Inner Peace faculty member Neil Pearson, Rachel was immediately attracted to the marrying of the ancient practice of yoga with modern pain science. From that time, she knew she wanted to bring yoga to people living with persistent pain, and has taught Pain Care Yoga with private clients and in classes. Rachel lives in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. She enjoys cooking and music, and backpacking is her bliss.

Michelle Grim, C-IAYT, MS PA-C

Michelle is a physician assistant and yoga therapist with specialized training in yoga for pain and trauma informed yoga therapy. She fell in love with yoga as she began her own healing path, and further deepened that passion as she began to learn the science behind why yoga works so well, training with Inner Peace Yoga Therapy and the Sensoriomotor Psychotherapy Institute. She’s known for geeking out on science, and for diving into practices that encourage personal awareness and transformation. Outside of her yoga pursuits, Michelle is also a physician assistant in mind body medicine with Dr. John Stracks, a facilitator for Curable Groups, and an outdoor adventure enthusiast. She loves road biking, hiking and backpacking, skiing, and general forest bathing.

Diane Kistler, C-IAYT, MBA

Diane’s journey towards Pain Care Yoga has been multifaceted and built upon the experiences and stories of her students and clients. As a yoga teacher, she felt drawn towards the therapeutic aspects of yoga. Hearing the student’s stories and guiding them through these healing yoga practices cemented her direction to use compassion and understanding to support those with chronic diseases. She graduated from Inner Peace Yoga Therapy as a Certified Yoga Therapist and continued on with further studies with Pain Care Yoga including a 300 hour Professional Mentorship. Her practice reflects that the two most essential tools for healing are treating the person as whole and building a therapeutic relationship with her students and clients. Diane resides in the Philadelphia area with her two daughters and pets and loves to let her hair down with some freestyle dance moves and playing on her djembe drum.

Our Affiliations

A yoga mentorship program created by Neil Pearson, Swami Lisa and Pain Care U Education