Who likes a quiz?

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Ok, for those squirming in their high-waisted Levi's here goes:

Name a body part every human has and many are afraid to talk about.

Don't be shy. Throw out an answer.

If my kids were still little, they'd probably say "butt!" and break out in giggles.

Truth is, they'd be close. Getting warm, but not quite hot.

Why oh why are we humans so incredibly hesitant to talk about "THE PELVIS?"

I didn't comb through the annals of anatomical history to fact check, but I'd bet one hip shimmy that it wasn't until "Elvis the Pelvis" arrived on the scene that ANYONE talked about this magical, mystical fulcrum of the human physique.

I rather dig the pelvis and have had a long-standing and rather intimate relationship with own since childhood.

When I was 2 years-old, I stopped walking. My parents caught me quadruped, dragging my right leg behind me. Off to the orthopedist we went, mom's bulging belly announcing the pending arrival of my baby sister Amanda and my dad likely fretting about a sick toddler and pregnant wife atop the never ending anxiety of being a dairy farmer.

Turns out, I had a decent sized cyst playing house in the depths of my hip joint. It needed to take its leave and quickly.

Mom's OB and my surgeon did a 2-for-1 kinda deal and hacked open my hip to remove the offending growth while my moon-faced, first best buddy entered the world.

Some 40 stitches and a long incision came home with me and formed a keloid scar that I still wear with mixed emotion.

In high school, I routinely over-rotated my pelvis kicking soccer balls and trained myself to use both legs equally to avoid more trips to the chiropractor. A downhill skiing accident in my mid-20's and 2 pregnancies further challenged my pelvis.

As a massage therapist and movement instructor, I have seen many human bodies and I'll tell you one thing: they ALL have a pelvis.

Each pelvis is constructed in a similar fashion, an arrangement of bones and ligaments creating an architectural framework to support muscles, organs, and other tissues. This center point of the body supports what resides above and transfers energy to what lives beneath.

Sometimes, stuff happens in and around the pelvis. Some of these goings on can lead to pain, inconvenience, frustration, and confusion.

To top it off, traumas and the level of shame often associated with the pelvis and some of its natural, necessary functions can compound uncomfortable feelings.

In my professional opinion, a healthy pelvis = a healthy body, one that feels and moves with more comfort, stability, and ease.

The first step toward vibrant pelvic health is demystifying "down there."

I propose that we all make an honest attempt to befriend our pelvis by first acknowledging that we have one and second, by talking about it as if it were as essential as our heart or lungs...because it is!

On Saturday, April 27 from 2-3:30 p.m. I'll be leading "Yoga for Pelvic Health: Demystifying Down There" in partnership with Grace Yoga.

Combined with breathwork and nervous system downregulation, I will lead you through practices designed to improve symmetry in and around the pelvic girdle, find more equilibrium between effective activation and release of muscles in and around the pelvis, and manage mental and emotional stress levels that often contribute to pelvic pain and dysfunction.

No prior yoga experience is necessary. This will not be a stretchy, flowy yoga class with fancy poses that you might see on Instagram.

Because I wish to make yoga as accessible as possible to all people, I'll offer props and modifications throughout the duration of the class.

Expect to leave your mat feeling softly strong, deeply connected to your pelvis, and equipped with tips and tricks you can practice on your own long after class ends.

In studio and livestream options are available. You may register on the Grace website. The cost is $32.

Can't make class? I'm happy to talk with you about pelvic wellbeing to the best of my ever-growing abilities at your next massage or 1:1 yoga session.

May you feel a sense of gentle renewal as blossoms and birds announce the arrival of the new season.

Jen