Mapping the Inner and Outer Landscape
It’s a suitable metaphor, and one that would embarrass him greatly, to describe scientist and Iyengar Yoga Asheville teacher Ned Gardiner as an example of deep space: a man of many layers. A global thinker, outdoor enthusiast, motorcycle rider, banjo player, husband, father, dedicated yoga student, and eager yoga teacher, Ned likens his ongoing interest in satellite imagery to Pratyahara, the fifth limb of yoga, in which we practice withdrawing the senses from the outer world in order to heighten our inner awareness. Ned sees this practice as taking a “snapshot of our internal self” so that gradually we come to learn who we truly are.
A photo of Neil Armstrong on his childhood bedroom wall illustrates Ned’s claim that he was a “post space-age kid.” He grew up with the rapid development and application of personal computers, including satellites that give us unprecedented views of planet Earth. In addition to Ned’s early interest in outer space, he was also very connected to life here on the ground. As a kid, he attended Farm & Wilderness, a group of accredited Quaker-based summer camps in Vermont rooted in community, social justice, environmental sustainability, homegrown fun, and wilderness adventure.
According to Ned, “At camp I became intrigued with how natural systems work and how we humans fit in with them. The stark landscape of the moon is not nearly as interesting to me as a northern forest with its many layers and species. As an adult, I came to use computer mapping and remote satellite imagery to understand how human choices both depend on and impact the natural world, and with this knowledge, communicate practical solutions on how we can build a more holistic way of life that better utilizes our limited resources and can benefit all life on Earth.”
As a yoga teacher, Ned helps his students strengthen their bodies and cultivate mental clarity. In his career as a scientist and as a student and teacher of Iyengar yoga, he ascribes to a central yoga principle: Heyam dukham anagatam, “The pains which are yet to come can be and are to be avoided.”
Early Influences
Foreshadowing his career in government and science, as well as his passion for yoga, Ned was born in Washington, D.C. to a mom who practiced yoga when she was pregnant. His mother did paralegal work for the elderly and his father was a lawyer. Ned was the youngest and only son, with three older sisters to “enlighten” him. “My parents worked very hard,” he explained, “so I was your typical latch-key kid, coasting through my early years in public school.”
This coasting shifted to full-on engagement when Ned transferred in junior high to St. Anselm’s Abbey School, a Catholic Benedictine School for boys. As the school’s mission statement asserts, the school “nurtures the spiritual, intellectual, and physical development of young men with demonstrated academic achievement. Rigorous study of the liberal arts and sciences prepares students for the challenges of college and for a life of learning and service.” As Ned remembers, “You didn’t have to be rich to attend, but you needed to be interested in learning. I wanted the challenge and soaked it all in, and became more confident in my academic abilities.”
For study breaks, Ned learned to play clawhammer style banjo, playing along to local old time and bluegrass radio programming on WAMU.
A key influence on Ned’s future career was his high school experience at Sidwell Friends. Founded by Quakers, the school describes its mission as “committed to stewardship of the Earth.” Ned enjoyed silent Quaker Meeting, where he learned how to look inward: “I resonated with the ethical orientation of the Quaker school, and am grateful to both.”
Next Steps toward Career Goals
Ned applied early admission to Yale, where in 1991 he earned a B.A. in Anthropology and Environmental studies. His senior thesis examined how trading goods with European culture led to systemic cultural changes among the Yanomamo, a South American tribe considered by many to be the last to make contact with Europeans. To Ned, this research was pivotal in considering the colonial history of our nation—and of his own ancestors: “One of my grandmother’s progenitors signed the Declaration of Independence. Another brought tobacco to the Virginia Colony. My grandfather was a kind, generous, warm, loving man whose career took him to Manaus, Brazil, among other places, where his company had an interest in rubber plantations. I have always been interested in how we reconcile who we are now with our history or past actions. Even subtle interactions can have cascading, unintended impacts on people and places. Understanding the past 400 years of contact seemed essential for re-envisioning the next 400.”
At Yale, he met his future wife Christine, who was attending Yale’s Forestry School. In 1991, they moved to Washington, D.C. where he helped build a timber frame house in Rockville, Maryland. It was here that Iyengar Yoga showed up in his life for the first time: “My sister Elly had studied Iyengar Yoga with Mary Dunn. Christine and I began to study with senior teacher John Schumacher at his Bethesda studio, Unity Woods. I went to the classes too, but honestly I was just going along!”
