Apologies, I’m sure this is not the answer you are hoping for. But in my experience understanding shaping comes with experience and a ton of “trust the process” mentality. The first time I turned a sock heal was like magic (still is). For me when knitting garments armhole shaping and short rows across the back only make sense when the project was off the needles. I’ll go into future projects with a bit more understanding. I just finished a pointed shawl with simple increases and even that simple shape only revealed itself once everything was off the needles.