The over arching goal of yantra yoga is self realization.
In Yantra yoga, the first name signifies the person's MIND and EXPRESSION. The mind comprises the inner nature of the individual while the expression comprises the outer nature of the individual.
In yantra yoga, our primary aim is to balance the person's first name to their birth path as revealed by their birth date. The reason for this is because it was discovered centuries ago by the Yantric sages that the birth path of a person is always positive for that person. It is the birth path which reveals the person's PURPOSE.
It was also discovered that a person's first name has the greatest influence on him or her, as it is the first name which the person becomes IDENTIFIED with and it is the first name which then influences the MIND and EXPRESSION of a person.
When we balance the first name so that it is perfectly matched with the person's birth path, using a precise method taught in yantra yoga, then the person's inner and outer nature will be perfectly aligned with their purpose.
When this occurs, the individual will know himself and will be at peace with himself. As a result, he will be able to make better choices and actions regarding what is best for him. This is defined as self knowledge and self actualization.
This is why the first name of a person has the profoundest influence upon a person. My teacher used to say that the first name of a person is who they ARE. While the birth path reveals who they SHOULD BE. It is the balance or imbalance between these two which causes unhappiness and suffering.
This is why ideally I would like to help people change or alter their first name to be more in balance for them. However I do acknowledge that for some people, this is a hard step as they are so identified with their first name, hence a conundrum because it is precisely because they are so identified with their first name that they are unhappy.
So if the first name of a person is the most important influence then what about the other names like the middle or last names?
The other names and numbers are lesser influences on a person than the first name, but since people are so easily influenced these days, they do still play a significant role.
The surname of a person influences his family personality, that is, what he is like within his family.
Usually, after the first name, I look to the total name balance of person which is the total mathematically derived value of all his names. This total value gives the person's ENVIRONMENT, ASSOCIATIONS and most importantly his DESTINY.
In yantra yoga we have a set of total combinations that we have found to lead to balanced success in the modern world. The total number balance serves to create a bridge between the person's purpose (first name) and the world (total name), so that he can actualize his potential in the world in a practical way, thereby achieving true fulfillment.
