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If you are recovering from injury, I wouldn’t say you need to remove cobra from your routine entirely, but I would say you need to modify the pose. Instead of focusing on the arch and lifting your chest away from the ground, I would instead focus on the proper muscle engagement and technique while keeping your chest firmly on the ground. This is a great way to build into a full cobra, while keeping your back safe.
Secondly, if you are already sore in your lower-back – maybe from a long run, weight training, or another workout – then I recommend focusing on poses that bring relief to your lower-back, instead of working it out more. If your lower-back is already sore, it’s a good idea to do postures or exercises that help the lower-back recover, rather than putting it through another workout. I would recommend doing child’s pose, reclined twists, pigeon, or a wide-legged forward fold in this case, since these stretches help to relieve tension in the lower-back by stretching the muscles connected to or surrounding the lower-back.
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