I've talked to quite a lot of people who went to a Vipassana retreat, sometimes as an exotic break from, say, partying in Thailand, without any back info or exp

I've talked to quite a lot of people who went to a Vipassana retreat, sometimes as an exotic break from, say, partying in Thailand, without any back info or experience, found it super amazing and intense and great — but then didn't keep up any kind of meditation habit. And though I think the organization is quite impressive and obviously appealing to a lot of people, I'm quite skeptical about this approach to beginning with meditation. Of course I appreciate that going cold turkey into a difficult retreat is in fact quite heroic, but I sometimes think that the glowing reviews and recommendations are not so much grounded in a sober assessment of the best way to start meditating. And so I must play the boring guy and point out that there is a large number of smaller local organizations teaching mindfulness meditation in a simple and straightforward way. You don't have to go to Southeast Asia, and you don't have to go on a strenuous retreat the first thing you do. I started meditating by myself, then joined a local group for longer evening sittings, then did some one-day retreats, then went to a temple for a weekend retreat, then a four-day, then a seven-day, and now I try to go to a four-day or seven-day at least a couple times a year. This wade-in approach has been very nice and rewarding for me. It's helped me keep up a habit of (more or less) daily meditation for a few years. And yes, it is the most valuable and wonderful habit I know.