Chesney told me that the habit, also known as “email apnea,” can contribute to the same maladies as sleep apnea. How could modern science and ancient practices be so at odds? Again, it comes down to will. The breathholding that occurs in sleep and constant partial attention is unconscious—it’s something that happens to our bodies, something that’s out of our control. The breathholding practiced by the ancients and revivalists is conscious. These are practices we will ourselves to do.
