I do pretty traditional, mainstream Buddhist-style meditation on the breath every day. At the moment I'm sitting 30 minutes a day; there have been times when I've averaged an hour a day.
I find it has great benefits-- much more than any other activity I could do in the time I'm spending.
I'd definitely recommend that you (or anybody else interested) go to a center, and take a few sessions with an in-person teacher. Learning to meditate from a book (or website, etc.) is a bit like learning to swim from a book: it might be possible to do it that way, but it is far from optimal.
In my experience, Buddhist centers are happy to show people how to meditate with absolutely no expectations or conditions; there's nothing special you have to believe or commit to, or anything like that.
There are a number of sites with downloadable dharma talks, guided meditations, etc. Those would be helpful people who don't have a nearby center. (Or whose nearby center is of a variety that isn't agreeable. For instance, when I took a meditation class at a Korean Zen temple in Chicago, full-length prostrations were a significant part of it. I'm not keen on prostrations. As an atheist, they feel silly.)
I find it has great benefits-- much more than any other activity I could do in the time I'm spending.
I'd definitely recommend that you (or anybody else interested) go to a center, and take a few sessions with an in-person teacher. Learning to meditate from a book (or website, etc.) is a bit like learning to swim from a book: it might be possible to do it that way, but it is far from optimal.
In my experience, Buddhist centers are happy to show people how to meditate with absolutely no expectations or conditions; there's nothing special you have to believe or commit to, or anything like that.