Cobra Exercise vs Push-Up

The photo below is a picture of me doing a yoga exercise called the "Cobra". Notice that my back is arched during my performance of this exercise, and this may look like it goes against what I stated yesterday about keeping your back straight. The reason this exercise is good for you is due to the duration of time it is held to provide a slow relaxed stretch to the abdominal region and hip flexor muscles of the body. It also provides a gentle pressure on the joint and discs of the vertebrae which increases proper fluid transfer. The danger of doing a push up with the back in this position is the increased acceleration required to lift the body back off the floor. This explosive movement causes an enormous increase in the forces upon the lumbar spine and increased risk of injury.