convert string to yaml path in groovy jenkins

Question

I have a yaml file loaded from readYaml into a variable from jenkins pipeline utility steps.

let's say this is my yaml file loaded into var myYaml:

---
trunk: interest
put: stepped
wonder: true
oldest: surrounded
ship: false
heading: false
very:
  - fight: hunter
    character: true
    hidden: tin
wealth: lesson
finish: sense
  - word
  - tree
  - nickel

normally you would reference a yaml property with dot notation as so,

echo(myYaml.very.character)
output: true

I am trying to take a path that is already as a string, and turn that into a path I can reference yaml with.

myStringPath = "very.character"
myYaml.myStringPath

I see a lot of examples of this in javascript, but I can't seem to find an elegant way in groovy or jenkins groovy. Any recommendations?