THE BEAUTY OF THE SPACE IN BETWEEN: INSIGHTS FOR 2026 AND BEYOND

The space in between is where life quietly unfolds; where your becoming is complete.

In many cultures, we're raised to celebrate milestones. Set goals and focus on overcoming challenges. Achieve this, accomplish that. We become so obsessed with the before and after, we rarely pay attention to what separates them—the space between setting and reaching the goal. That still, quiet, sometimes unsettling space in between.

That’s where most of life actually happens.

It’s the pause when you’re no longer who you were, and not quite who you’re becoming.

We live in a world that loves certainty. Our childhood is often interrupted by questions like, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” I used to tell my children, when they were teenagers, “If you don’t decide, someone else will decide for you.” I didn’t want them to struggle. To merely survive, but to thrive.

Know what you're going to do. Have a plan. Choose, and fast.

But growth doesn’t work that way. Growth happens slowly, sometimes awkwardly, and often invisibly. It occurs in uncertainty: when sitting with thoughts that don’t have titles and labels and can’t yet be categorized.

The space in between is where doubt lives — and also possibility. It’s the moment between letting go and holding on. Between confidence and self-doubt. Between being silent and speaking up.

There’s something powerful about allowing yourself to sit in the unknown without rushing toward clarity. About recognizing that you don’t have it all figured out and accepting that you don’t have to.

The pressure to have to choose, to be certain, can extinguish curiosity. And curiosity is in the space between, where growth starts.

In-between moments teach us patience. They teach us how to listen to ourselves, and withdraw our attention from the noise around us. They teach how to sit in discomfort without immediately trying to escape it. They teach us to be self-reflective. That’s a skill no one warns you’ll need, but everyone does.

This space also changes how we see others.

One of my mentors once told me, “No one person is all one thing.” It’s true. We are multifaceted in our being and doing. Once we realize how much of life is transitional, we can extend grace to others — and ourselves — with ease. Everyone is navigating something — seen or unseen. Everyone is learning as they go. No one is ever completely “done.”

This brings to mind the Shukla Yajurveda Shanti Mantra, “Poornamadam Poornamidam,” from the Isha Upanishad, which speaks to the wholeness of Brahman (God):

OM. That is complete, this is complete.

Completeness comes from completeness.

If you take completeness away from completeness,

Verily, completeness remains.

OM Peace Peace Peace

I like to think of us in this way. Completeness does not mean fully “done,” but whole.

Exploring the space in between doesn’t mean being stuck. It means being in awareness while you move through it. It means noticing the experience of the lesson rather than focusing only on what you’re learning as a means to an end.

It means letting yourself evolve without demanding immediate answers. Unfolding into completeness, wholeness.

It’s like breathing: The inhale (Puraka) and exhale (Rechaka) are only a part of the breath. We often disregard the retention (Kumbhaka). Overlooking the subtle boost of the energy we receive when holding the breath following the inhale, or calm when holding the breath following the exhale. Or even more, the sudden retention that leads to deep stillness and heightened awareness. Experiencing the full breath, the whole breath connects us to Completeness.

As we end 2025, the year of the Snake in the Chinese zodiac (Jan. 29-Feb.16, 2026), some of you may be reflecting on the energetic, physical, mental, or emotional shifts you experienced this year. Lots of grief, lots of endings, the end of personal and/or professional relationships, moving from family homes, or leaving the state, or country. You may have felt (or may still be feeling) a little restless, where things are not yet settled. It's ok. Like a snake, you’re shedding. And shedding doesn’t leave you uncovered. It reveals the beauty of your unfolding, where your becoming is complete.

You're right where you're supposed to be — in the space between. Hold gratitude!