The first step in learning Maya is to get your hands on the software. Autodesk currently offers a 30-day trial of Maya Unlimited for 32-bit Windows and Mac OSX systems. While many (if not most) professionals are actually using Maya on Linux machines, this will at least get you started and familiarized with the system. If you are a student, consider paying for the academic version from an online warehouse (try "journeyed" or "Academic Superstore"). Neither the trial nor the academic licenses can be used for commercial work, paid or unpaid.
Once you've obtained the software, follow the instructions to install and launch it. Keep in mind its minimum requirements for running on your type of machine---these are important specifications that will affect how successful you can be with Maya. Utilizing higher functions, such as working with fluids and cloth, will be frustrating at best on a substandard computer. Thankfully, the tutorials start at the beginning, so there's some time to deal with any lingering hardware issues...except one. You must have a three-button mouse. In a jam, it's possible to use the click wheel on a two-button mouse, but you'd need to refer to your mouse's settings.
With a little bit of searching, you'll find a number of Maya tutorials on the web, but the best resource ships with the software itself. "Getting Started with Maya" and its companion "Getting Started with Maya Unlimited" offer about 1000 pages of free how-to goodness. They're available in divided sections below "Learning Resources" in Maya's "Help" documentation. In addition, Autodesk posts them online under "Training" as eBooks (see Resources). If you go with the eBook, it'll be worth asking permission to print a personal copy for yourself.
As you're working your way through the tutorials, you'll notice a common theme with regards to the interface: there's a lot going on and usually more than one way to accomplish the same thing. Making it flexible enough to support all the niches of computer animation, game development and special effects have added significant weight to the package. But you don't have to use or learn it all at once to benefit from it. Work through the tutorial's lessons, one at a time, to get an understanding of how to control the software.
Eventually, you'll hit a snag. Maybe the tutorial skips something that you need, or it says to click on a button that doesn't actually exist (at least in this version of the software). Glitches happen, even in print, but where can you go for help? If you don't have an expert nearby, tap into online forums with a relatively high participation rate: Highend3D, CGTalk and Autodesk Area are good places to start. Search what's already been posted first. If you aren't successful, register and submit a description of your roadblock, providing as much information as you can. These forums are visited by amateurs and professionals alike, and many of them take pride in helping others learn Maya.