Lunch is not a break from learning – it is a practice in itself.
Each day, the school community shares a sit-down, family-style meal prepared by sangha members in our communal kitchen. The food is entirely plant-based and offered with care, joy, and mindfulness. Before eating, we listen to the bell to arrive fully in the present moment, offering gratitude for the food, the people who prepared it, and the earth that nourished it.
Mindful eating is a central practice in the Plum Village tradition, and it is honored here as a daily opportunity to slow down, come home to our bodies, and deepen our awareness.
Students are invited to eat in a gentle silence for the first few moments of the meal, tuning into the flavors, textures, and interbeing of the food in front of them, creating space for a kind of nourishment that goes beyond the physical.
After eating and connecting, children take part in cleaning up, mindfully washing their own dishes and helping to care for the shared space. At times, students also assist in simple food preparation, offering their hands in joyful service. These acts are not framed as chores, but as expressions of gratitude and responsibility —- ways of living the teachings of interbeing.
Recess follows lunch, giving children time to run, explore, and play freely outdoors. This unstructured time allows for creativity, movement, and joyful connection with the natural world once again.
