Dressage - 10 meter circles and some sitting trot

Today was our first lesson in a few weeks, but it felt like it has been much longer than that.  I was starting to get serious lesson deprivation.
John said it is ok to sign up for Spokane, and ok to sign up Training, but that about 10 days ahead if I'm not feeling totally ready, we'll back down to Novice.
Today he explained going forward ever so slightly differently, and I think it made a big difference.  We were working on 10 meter circles, and Duke would start to lose power, so he had me do on-off-on-off-on-off with my legs and kind of rev Duke up, and then go back to working on the bend or the half halt or whatever.  Duke was quite responsive to the on-off-on-off and he'd push forward and it was easy to feel the difference.  Then I'd quit nagging with my legs.
He also had me do one part of a circle with my left leg as tight as I could push it against him (it was the inside leg at the time) - not an on-off-on-off aid, but a squeeze.  I think that's the first time he's told me to give that aid.
Duke had his head pretty high at the canter, and was stiff in the jaw at the trot, but other than that, he actually felt really good.  As anxious as I have been feeling, I couldn't feel anything off.  John said to measure his foot from the coronet band to his toe and tell the farrier not to cut his foot any shorter than that - he thinks it is a too short trim where the nail moves just a bit as Duke's foot grows out after a few days and makes a sore spot - not a hot nail, but sore.
We did some bending to the outside, bending to the inside, 10 meter circles changing direction in the middle, a few laps of sitting trot, and work on the half halt.  Half halt aid is the outside rein but squeeze with both legs while asking.  Then John made it even harder and had me use the inside rein while I was half halting, which meant I was giving three aids at once (inside rein, outside rein, both legs same).  It taxed my concentration levels.  So I can do three novel things at once, but just barely ...
He also had me sit up (like usual), and when Duke got stiff or started to get ready to give, he'd have me give (slightly) with the inside or outside hand.  He can see this - I can't feel that it's almost time - and he times it so that when I give a little, Duke stretches forward and into the hand and it always feels really nice, like a release.  In contrast with when I'm trying to walk on a loose rein and the rein just flops around instead of staying connecting but Duke going forward into it.
Duke got sweaty under his saddle, but he stayed quiet and obedient, and I think I am doing much better than six months ago at making the circles round with my legs instead of cranking him around the circle with my hands.
John also had me move my legs to different places to keep Duke's shoulders in or push his haunches in.  So, for example, I'd be riding with my inside (right) leg up next to the girth but the outside (left) leg two inches back.  I am not very good at knowing when I should move my leg forward or back, or feeling that it is in the wrong place and correcting it.
Before John got there, we walked around to the road, then down the road with R.  Duke got a little nervous (I could feel his little heart thumping under my leg) but stayed good.