Brenda Ahearn/The Gazette
Greenbelt author Izolda Trakhtenberg wrote about the four major life elements – wind, earth, fire and water – and how every person can incorporate them into their lives.
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From the most impulsive to the most contemplative people, Izolda Trakhtenberg has a strategy for bringing a serene equilibrium to everyday life.
In her book, "Life Elements," Trakhtenberg, a longtime Greenbelt resident, documents a myriad of personalities and lays out strategies for cultivating passion (fire), emotion (water), stability (earth) and reasoning (air).
Her exercises – which include various kinds of meditation – are simple but poignant, designed to gradually awaken and develop traits that could help a person understand and accept emotional highs and lows or make a reader more likely to stop and consider options before taking action.
"It's a way to cultivate awareness of ourselves," said Trakhtenberg, 42, who once worked in a NASA program that studied the earth and sought ways to care for the environment. "It's a way of taking control and investing in yourself."
"Life Elements" – which was released in July – and Trakhtenberg's Web site, LifeElements.info, help readers understand which of their elements are strongest and which need to be fostered and developed. For instance, if a reader finds that she lacks fire, Trakhtenberg has a simple solution: dance.
Even "rudimentary" dance moves will work, she said, and acting on stage is a surefire way to help someone who "thinks" and "feels" and simply "do." Just play music and start moving and your fire quotient will see an up-tick.
"Most people who need the fire element tend not to move a lot or they don't want to put themselves out there," said Trakhtenberg, a tai chi teacher for 13 years who also practices yoga. "But now they can do it in the privacy of their own home."
For people hoping to cultivate their ability to feel and comprehend emotion, Trakhtenberg suggests dropping a small stone in a cup of water. Watching the ripples collide against each other and settle into a placid state, she said, has a valuable lesson.
"Just like our emotions, the water eventually comes back to a centered emotional state," she said. "It'll seem like it's exactly the same, but on a molecular level, the water will never be the same way again."
Trakhtenberg was born in Moldova – part of the former Soviet Union – and credits long talks with her grandmother for helping her understand everything from nature's beauty and diversity to music.
Trakhtenberg's family immigrated to the United States when she was 6 – a yearlong move that included extended stops in Italy and Israel, where Trakhtenberg learned a variety of languages. Her family settled in Michigan, where Trakhtenberg did well in school and graduated from the University of Michigan with an English degree.
It was during her time with NASA – in a program laid out by former Vice President Al Gore in his book, "Earth in the Balance" – that Trakhtenberg noticed and studied the parallels between ancient earth elements and human emotions and interactions.
"The spheres on the planet are like the spheres of our lives," she said. "It wasn't difficult because it all flowed together … and it definitely was a combination of a number of factors that coalesced."
Trankhtenberg said playing cards with exercises outlined in "Life Elements" will be available in the coming months. The suggestions – like those in the book – will be simple enough for readers to cultivate new elements every day.
"On a practical level, this system makes a lot of sense," she said.
