About Us
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THE PEOPLE
The the owners and principal practitioners at Ganesha-Bali are Dr. Stephen Byers and Dr. Catherine Riva.
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Stephen spent the first eighteen years of his life being nurtured in South East Asia. Six years in Hong Kong followed by twelve years in Borneo, giving him a deep love of Asia and a fascination with both its culture and medicine. |
He was raised by two Cantonese nannies, Ah Yi and Ah Ho and when health issues arose it was Chinese Medicine that was always used. Stephen became proficient in Cantonese, Malay and Indonesian due to his formative years living in South East Asia.
Stephen trained under the great master, Professor Wong Lun in a style of Traditional Chinese Medicine incorporating martial arts, muscular skeletal alignments, tui na, acupuncture, cupping, herbal medicine and dietary therapy.
Stephen founded the Fitzroy Chinese Medical Centre in Melbourne Australia twenty-five years ago and today remains the principle practitioner of a growing practice.
Stephen furthered his studies under Swami Muktananda who initiated him into the practice of Kundalini yoga. In a peculiar manifestation of destiny, the district where Ganesha Bali has been built is called Kundalini. Having practiced Siddha meditation for over thirty two years and exploring a range of styles from Pranayama, Dharma yoga, Kriya yoga, Bakti yoga, Jyana yoga, Karma yoga, Tantric yoga just to name a few, Stephen is motivated to share his ideas and journey to date, with the people who come to him for treatment.
Stephen furthermore has a diploma of Chinese MEdicine.
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Catherine's journey took a different path. Completing her studies in youth work and criminal justice in 1985, Catherine worked in both the community and government sector for some fifteen years in child protection, juvenile justice and family counselling. |
Intrinsically linked to the belief that emotional trauma impacts on a persons spiritual and physical health, Catherine set about incorporating a holistic approach to the treatment of illness and recovery disease and past trauma.
An advocate for the benefits of both philosophical frameworks, Catherine works towards bridging the gaps and building bridges between Eastern and Western philosophies.
In 1994 Catherine began her studies in Traditional Chinese Medicine under the guidance of Professor Wong Lun, a purist in the practice of Traditional Medicine. She then branched out to study with Professor Samual Zheng who was trained in both Chinese and Western Medicine and finally completed her studies in Western Health Sciences in 2000.
Catherine has blended a career in lecturing Chinese Medicine at both private and government universities along with a successful private practice in Chinese Medicine in Melbourne, Australia.
Catherine has the following certifications and diplomas:
- Certificate Family Mediation
- Certificate Critical Incident De-Briefing
- Certificate IV Assessment and Work Place Training
- Diploma Youth Work and Criminal Justice
- Diploma Pharmacology (Chinese Herbs)
- Advanced Diploma Health Science (Acupuncture)
- Advanced Diploma Health Science (Chinese Medicine) - Acupuncture and Herbal Medicine
- Bachelor Health Science (Acupuncture)
- Masters of Adult Education (currently studying)
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