The cobra pose is really painful on my lower back. Is this normal?

Yes this is normal, but it can depend on the type of pain you have if it is a shooting pain that stops when you come out of the pose you might not want to do it but if it is an uncomfortable pain then it is good it just means you are pushing your body that is how you become more flexible

It becimes easier, and less painful once you engage your abdominal muscles into the pose. Try your best to do so, if the pain is still there, try watchng a few tutorials on youtube. Because the lower back is so much more flexible than the upper, its easy to overdo the bending and you may hurt yourself. Keep safe. And i hope you succeed soon 🙂 ×