I am a beginner and when going from forward dog to backward dog I find it impossible to roll on my toes, any tips? also when practicing I have a constant urge to close my eyes, does it matter if my eyes are open or closed? 
I was not able to roll my toes for a long long time… not sure if I’ve ever learned :)) I do not think it is an essential part of practice… but you may try to roll them with very little weight on you toes, or it will hurt.
Practicing with the eyes close is the best practice, I love it cause it makes the practice of asana more meditative. It is easier to do on your own and sometimes more difficult in yoga class.
Hello Nick,
Rolling over the toes when going from Downward Facing Dog (Adho Mukha Svanasana) to Upward Facing Dog (Urdhva Mukha Svanasana) does serve a function. The toes correlate to channels in the body - nadis in the yogic system, meridians in the Chinese system. Ergo there is a stimulation resulting from the action you are referencing.
However, this is not a mandatory action AND it is certainly not expected to be present in the body of a beginner. Instead it is a thing to work toward but not get hung up on in the process. If you continue your practice over the years you will, hopefully, see the difference between minutia that distracts from path and essentials that facilitate it. Again, not something one expects to find in a beginner.
Generally speaking, when the student is doing an active pose the eyes remain open (to one degree or another). This prevents confusion in the nervous system. When we are active the nervous system has a particular state. That state aligns with open eyes. When we are passive the nervous system has another state. That state aligns with eyes closed.
What we have seen over the years is a degradation in the integrity of the nervous system. Many students have burned their systems by over taxing them and over stimulating their adrenal glands. In the body of the student with such a condition the eyes are often open when they should be closed and closed when they should be open (and by “should” I mean relative to the human physiology, not my personal belief system).
There is, of course, one other element here. Advanced students possessing a certain level of awareness can and do periodically close the eyes in order to work more deeply. So once again we do not have a one-size-fits-all answer.
Since you are a beginner I would suggest eyes open when exerting and closed when resting (in asana). You may experiment with the opposites as you see fit to discern what works in your living, but please take note of any nervous system responses along the way.
gordon
Thank you both for your help!