Yea @greenrun, great insight! I also believed in the myth that when electricity is held with a bare hand without breathing, there won't be a shock. While i was growing up as a teenager, i joined my uncle who was an electrician, my job was to assist him technically. But i saw him hold live wire with his bare hand without being shocked and i wondered how he did that. So i decided to try it out myself putting on slippers and i ceased my breath. I was shocked even after applying the techniques. But from what you said below, i understand completely the safety measure he used.

I later noticed he wore a heavy insulated safety boot and he was not making contact with any other object. Now, for electricity to flow, the circuit must be closed, eg when you turn off the lamp in your room, you merely opened up the circuit that breaks the electrical connection. Due to this added resistance, he had from the safety shoes, the circuit was not complete for electricity to flow through him to the ground.

Well done boss!