MOVEMENT IN THE RIGHT SPACE

Denyse Green takes Roots Yoga to new heights

If the recent opening of Roots Rosedale in Toronto marks the completion of a circle for Co-Founders Don Green and Michael Budman, it also has special significance for Don’s wife Denyse Green.

The eco-friendly emporium signifies a return to the company’s roots on Yonge Street as it’s situated just a block up from where it all began back in 1973 when the first Roots store opened. But there’s also another dimension to the story.
An important part of Roots Rosedale is the new Roots Yoga Studio situated upstairs on the third floor. Conceived and managed by Denyse, a seasoned instructor, classes began earlier this month with great feedback so far.

For Denyse, the Studio is also a return to her roots of sorts. In August 1973, a few months after moving to Toronto from her hometown of Chicoutimi, Quebec, and barely a week after Don and Michael had opened the original store, Denyse was offered a job that would change her life. She was the first person Don and Michael ever hired to work at Roots, and it proved an auspicious decision for all concerned. In time, she and Don would get married and start a family, all the while playing a key role in the evolution of Roots.

More than 33 years later, that role is as vital as ever. Being the Director of the Roots Yoga Studio is only one facet of her work at Roots. Denyse also works closely on the design of Roots leather bags with Diane Bald and resident leather expert Karl Kowalewski on top of overseeing the Roots Yoga collection of active apparel. In 1982, Denyse also created Baby Roots after she could not find clothing she liked for her newly born son Anthony.

Denyse’s involvement in creating the Roots Yoga line was also a natural extension of her own personal interests. “I first started doing yoga about 30 years ago after I found a book about it,” says Denyse, 54. “Right away, I was very curious about it and began looking for a teacher. Back then, yoga was not very common in Toronto. I really got involved in it in a more serious way a few years later when I became pregnant with our son. Since I wanted to have the baby at home, I knew that yoga would be very beneficial for the breathing and relaxing part of it.”

It was. Denyse has been a regular practitioner ever since. “Yoga is a journey that helps you to know yourself better,” says Denyse, who has been teaching since 1996. “It’s a discipline and a complete system that helps you maintain your health, physically and mentally, giving you added vitality and better awareness inside out. There is also a spiritual and philosophical side to yoga that also attracted me.”

In 2001, at Denyse’s initiative, Roots launched the Roots Yoga line. It began with a modest selection and expanded two years later when the organizers of the Yoga Show in Toronto asked Roots to supply the staff with suitable clothing.

Today, the Roots Yoga line has grown to include many more styles featuring pants, jackets, and T-shirts in different fabrics and colours. Denyse works closely with Jules Power, Senior Designer, and Nikki Kime, Senior Technician, both in the Womenswear Department, on the designs and specifications. Denyse has also been helped by Elsa De Sousa, Senior Designer, Babies and Dylan Anderson, Designer, Menswear, who have been developing a Roots Yoga line for children and men. On the graphic side, a new Roots Yoga logo was recently unveiled after being designed by Graphic Artist Stephanie Briers with whom Denyse has been collaborating on the beautiful new Roots Yoga T-shirts.

Earlier this year, during the planning for Roots Rosedale as a special store with a new concept, Denyse noticed the building had a beautiful space on the third floor. As she was looking for a new home for her yoga studio and the store was going to have a strong focus on organic and health-related products, it seemed like a natural move to create a Roots Yoga Studio upstairs.
“The two complement each other,” says Denyse. “As the building was new, it allowed us to design the Studio the way we felt it should be. I may not be objective but our space is the nicest urban yoga studio I’ve ever seen. That’s thanks in large part to Diane and Pauline Landriault, (Director of Visual Planning and Store Development) who helped me tremendously as we prepared the space. Howard Pollack, (Director of Purchasing and Facilities), who oversaw the construction of the studio, also deserves a lot credit.”
The Studio offers instruction in six main types of yoga (see box). Each week, there are 25 classes taught by 11 teachers, all of who are experienced and certified from various renowned yoga schools.
Denyse is nothing if not passionate about the Roots Yoga Studio. “I love the challenge of creating something new within the framework of Roots that has such a positive influence on people’s lives,” says Denyse. “It’s even more gratifying that it’s in a neighborhood that has played such a big part in my life. It feels like completing a circle with the new store and Roots Yoga Studio being so close to where we began this great adventure 33 years ago.” – R.S.