I will weigh-in on the "get a teacher" side. I understand that many people don't have a teacher, or are at a retreat center at the mercy of whoever jet-setted in that week. Skills are hard to learn by yourself; meditation is a skill. Books are good, but the problem is a book can't know your practice, can't inspire you the way another human can, can't answer questions (which should be practice-oriented), and can't offer advice to adjust your practice. And considering how difficult practice can be and how inaccessible teachers at a retreat center can be, having someone you trust to guide you is a tremendous boon. It takes a little while to shop around, though. Go to free classes; it doesn't listening to more than a few questions to see if the teacher is going to entertain Pop Psychology Buddhism or is going to have a technical approach. That, and keep in mind that people are weird. You will probably have to jump some hoops. I hate jumping hoops, but this is one of the few times in life where jumping hoops is justified.
