Align Wellness

10/17/2026

Welcome, Yining Liu! Yining is our masters level counseling intern from Naropa University. We are so excited to be piloting this intentional therapist training program at Align Wellness, and we couldn't have a better student to kick us off. Yining has been working closely with her therapist mentor, Kaleigh McAfee, AMFT and is now ready to begin seeing her own clients. She has a standard accessible and affordable session rate of $50, and for the remainder of 2026, we are able to offer sliding scale spots from there if needed. She will be with us throughout 2026-2027. Her work is under my clinical supervision, and clients seeing our interns must consent to direct observation and/or audio/video recording of sessions for supervision purposes.

Yining's best things are career + life transitions, academic + workplace burnout, overachievement, immigration + cultural identity, identity + self-worth, mindfulness + spirituality. She speaks both English and Mandarin. For more about Yining, visit www.alignwellnessatl.com/about-yining

10/16/2026

Since the creation of Align Wellness, both yoga and therapy have been foundational to the vision. As a solo practitioner who is also a trained yoga and meditation teacher, my work with psyche and body/spirit (distinctions purely theoretical) has been intuitively, intentionally, and somewhat effortlessly woven together. In my hiring, so many of our therapists come with roots growing also from both traditions. My goal remains for yoga and therapy to be available to all of our clients, because I know the power of this spiritual/somatic practice and the ways it can open a client more deeply to therapeutic work, and help integrate and stay steady through the big shifts that happen in the therapy room (among other things, but we’re focused on the ways it complements therapy here). Yoga is readily accessible everywhere these days, but we have some strong opinions on the kinds of yoga that best serve folks with trauma histories, folks with complicated relationships with our bodies, folks who experience marginalization and oppression, and strong opinions about the ways yoga be handled with respect and care and kept as whole as possible (albeit in our white hands). So, we provide it in-house, and we offer our yoga classes FREE to all Align clients. We currently offer two virtual classes each week - Mondays (with Megan Nare, ERYT-500) and Wednesdays (with Laura Joplin, LCSW and ERYT-200) at 5:30pm. These classes are open to the public for $11, and you can learn more about each class and register here.

If you would also like to offer yoga to your staff or clients or organization, we have packages of discount codes for free or discounted classes. $150 for a package of 50 classes at 50% off or $300 for a package of 50 free classes. You’ll receive a custom discount code that will be good for 50 uses at either of our weekly yoga classes. If you’d like to try a class for free first, I’m happy to set that up for you. These are deeply discounted rates, so this offer may not last long. Reach out to Melanie if you’d like one.

10/15/2026

This is my most favorite quote. I have finally saved it after having to hunt it down many times a year to share with someone. It's from Pema Chodron's wonderful book When Things Fall Apart.

"One there was a young warrior. Her teacher told her that she had to do battle with Fear. She didn't want to do that. It seemed too aggressive; it was scary; it seemed unfriendly. But her teacher said she had to do it and gave her instructions for the battle. The day arrived. The student warrior stood on one side, and Fear stood on the other. The warrior was feeling very small, and Fear was looking big and wrathful. They both had their weapons. The young warrior roused herself and went towards Fear, prostrated three times, and asked, "May I have permission to go into battle with you?" Fear said, "Thank you for showing me so much respect that you ask permission." Then the young warrior said, "How do I defeat you?" Fear replied, "My weapons are that I talk fast, and I get very close to your face. Then you get completely unnerved, and you do whatever I say. If you don't do what I tell you, I have no power. You can listen to me, and you can have respect for me. You can even be convinced by me. But if you do not do what I say, I have no power." In that way, the student warrior learned how to defeat fear."

10/13/2026

10/10/2026

Most often, I think of ritual as a way to make prayers with my hands. In times where I feel powerless, a small ritual act can make me feel like I'm doing ✨️something✨️. To mark a moment, to externalize and honor an important internal experience or transformation.

This pile of rocks moves with me. I began this collection when I lived in Atlanta, with rocks from my land there, from a stream in Black Mountain, NC, from my great-grandfather's land in South Georgia, from a river in Scotland. In this photo, it sits on top of the stump of a beloved Cedar tree that was cut down after it was damaged by a tornado that hit our home last year. And now, this pile of rocks is here with me at our new home, Jubilee Place, under the Cherry tree in our prayer garden, with one rock added from our former home's land. And when we move again, it will come with us.

In this photo, I stacked the rocks as an expression of grief for how the land was damaged, and our lives disrupted. To say to this tree and all the 60+ other snapped and toppled trees around us: I care about what happened to you. I'm reminded of how in many biblical narratives, a big event happens, and people build a stone altar to mark it. And of how when big things happen in our lives, we also need to receive the message: I care about what happened to you. This matters. Ritual is one way we can say that something matters.

10/09/2026

We are thrilled to be piloting an intentional internship training program with Yining Liu this fall and all next year as our masters level intern from Naropa University. She is offering this FREE mindfulness-based psychoeducation group this fall on Thursdays from 5:30-6:30pm beginning October 15th. Registration is required for each session, and groups are offered on a drop-in basis, so folks can come to one, some, or all of them.

Skills for Being HUMAN is for people who are really good at doing life, but may have gotten a little disconnected from themselves while doing it.

In this weekly small-group series, we’ll share our everyday moments of “being human” and get curious about the ways we’ve learned to move through the world—especially the patterns that have become so habitual we barely notice them anymore.

Each week, we’ll explore a different theme through mindfulness-based skills, guided meditation, reflection, and conversation, practicing how to notice our thoughts, emotions, and needs with a little more awareness and choice.

How do we know when we need a break? What do we do when our brain just won’t shut up? What does that voice in our head have to say this time? And what might happen if, instead of immediately trying to fix ourselves, we simply got curious?

So grab your favorite beverage, find a cozy spot by your window, and join us. This is a little space to unwind, get curious, and simply be human with other humans!

10/08/2026

"All of Western medicine is built on getting rid of pain, which is not the same as healing. Healing is actually the capacity to hold pain." -- Gabor Mate

Building capacity to hold our pain (and/or the pain of others) doesn't mean that we force ourselves to bear it as it overwhelms us. It means that first, we find ways within our own bodies and in relationship with others to access more feelings of safety and stability. Sometimes this alone can create a kind of rebound anxiety - feeling safe can feel like letting our guard down. So we stay here as long as we need to re-establish trust. If we've been pushing ourselves past what feels safe for a long time, this trust can take time to rebuild. For some of us, it is so natural to want to rush this step - bring on the hard part, no pain, no gain, let's heal this already! I know, we've been carrying it so long, and we are ready to put it down. Here's the good news, though - this already ✨️is✨️ powerful healing work. Underline powerful. It may not feel like much, but to simply stop pushing ourselves into unsafety is huge. Even if this is "all" you ever did, it could be enough.

10/03/2026

Tarot and oracle cards can be an excellent therapeutic tool for exploring Jungian archetypes and our own projections, values, and beliefs. We asked our therapists to share with us about some of their favorite cards, and the lessons they've learned from them.

Kaleigh McAfee, AMFT shared about Study, from Doreen Virtue's Healing with the Angels deck:

Sometimes when we're in a learning phase of life, like starting therapy, we become anxious to test our new knowledge and skills. Instead of learning, we want to apply what we've learned. Timing is everything, and this card guides us to not rush into action and, instead, enjoy the process of learning and really integrate internally what it is we are learning.

10/01/2026

We asked our therapists: What has been your own most helpful or a powerful healing experience? Here's what they had to say. What about you - what experiences have most positively benefited your mental health?

10/01/2026

This 5-count Ratio Breathing Exercise is a balancing breath practice led by mama of Align, Melanie Storrusten. It is our free gift to you, among other guided meditations.

https://www.alignwellnessatl.com/offerings/p/ratio-breathing-exercise

As with any breathwork, talk to your doctor to ensure you are healthy and able to safely manipulate your breath, and if at any time you feel concerned about a sensation you’re having, please discontinue the practice.