Yoga, ice swims, and open brain pathways: Aussie Vikings star Sam Corlett shares primal daily routine in Men’s Health cover story

The Aussie star of Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla has shared his “primal” daily routine to play a modern Viking, from yoga and meditation to ice swims and a technique to open brain pathways

Yoga, meditation, ice cold swims and open brain pathways – the Australian star of Netflix series Vikings: Valhalla has shared his “primal” daily routine to play a modern Viking.

Appearing on the cover of Men’s Health, out Monday, Byron Bay-based actor Sam Corlett, who is touted as one of the country’s next leading actors, discussed his unusual training while filming the series in Ireland last year.

“Waking up, I’d be brushing my teeth with my left hand to open new pathways in the brain, then I started squatting, getting my body ready,” Corlett told Men’s Health. “And then I did a little yoga flow … I’d meditate for 15 to 20 minutes. After that I would go for a run.”

Byron Bay-based actor Sam Corlett for Men's Health, out Monday. Photo: Jamie Green/ Men’s Health

The actor, 26, would then bathe in the freezing ocean before heading to set to film his starring role in the series, which is a sequel to the original History Channel Vikings series.

“The kind of headspace I wanted to be in was very primal, so getting amongst the elements in the morning, getting in touch with the body and jumping into the ocean, all of these helped forge a primal mentality,” he continued. “And so when I ended up on set, I felt like I’d entered that space.”

After studying at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA), Corlett got his break opposite Eric Bana in The Dry (2020), before landing a role in Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina and then Vikings: Valhalla, cementing his name as a rising star of Australian acting.

Sam Corlett shoots for Men's Health at Broken Head. Photo: Jamie Green/ Men’s Health

Corlett features on the cover of Men's Health's May issue. Photo: Jamie Green/ Men’s Health

“I used to watch the original show with my dad growing up,” Corlett said. “I sat down at a Netflix meeting and they just said, ‘At a press of this button, it’s going to 222 million people around the world’. I still can’t grasp that idea.”

Back home in Byron Bay, Corlett experienced the recent flooding in the region and has since led fundraising efforts for victims in northern NSW and Queensland through his Family Forever Project.

“The more you get in tune with who you are and be that person fearlessly, the more support you’ll get from those around you,” he said.

Originally published as Yoga, ice swims, and open brain pathways: Aussie Vikings star Sam Corlett shares primal daily routine in Men’s Health cover story