liquid yeast issues

I ordered these from austinhomebrew and they came basically in a screw top test tube. My understanding is you're supposed to shake them before use and I did, not too crazy, just enough to mix the obviously separated contents inside.

I did it twice now and each time it basically explodes when I open it.

I figure this can't be good for sanitization, plus it just seems wrong.

Am I missing something or doing something wrong?

You want to just barely crack the lid and vent pressure slowly so you don't get an eruption. With a little practice you'll get hang of it. A lot of beginners have the same issue.

Totally normal.