Meditation applications for smartphones have been steadily growing in popularity. During the current Coronavirus pandemic, usership of various meditation apps has grown to reach record levels. This study explores the motivations for and barriers to adoption and usage of meditation apps during times of crisis. The study is based on qualitative, semi-structured interviews conducted with seventeen participants. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded using the NVivo software. Inductive thematic analysis identifies five themes: job-related factors, changing lifestyles, psychological conditions and worries, perceived outcomes, and price. All themes except for pricing were found to be motivators for use, while price was deemed a barrier to use. The themes align with the constructs from the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), and the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory, providing some useful guidance to meditation app providers. © 2020 International Consortium for Electronic Business. All rights reserved.